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0 


, 


, 


SUNDAY  NIGHT  LECTURES 

ON 

"THE  LAND  AND  THE  BOOK 


t* 


LIERAKY. 


SUNDAY  NIGHT  LECTURES 

ON 

"THE  LAND  AND  THE  BOOK" 


BY 

ROBERT  STUART  MacARTHUR 

AUTHOR  OF 

''Current  Qjiestions  for  Thinking  {Men^  "  The  Celestial  Lamp:' 

''Quick  Truths  from  Quaint  Texts,''  '' ^tble  T>iffi. 

cutties  and  Their  ^lleviative  Interpretation," 

"  The  Old  'Book  and  the  Old  Faith  " 

etc.,  etc. 


In  those  holy  fields 
Over  whose  acres  walk'd  those  blessed  feet, 
pyhich  fourteen  hundred  years  ago  were  nail'd 
For  our  advantage  on  the  bitter  cross. 

—Shakespeare 


PHILADELPHIA 

a.  5.  'RowIan&-H20  Cbcatnut  Street 
1900 


T 


Copyright  1900  by 
Robert  Stuart  MacArthur 


^rom  tbe  prees  of  tbe 
Hmertcan  Kaptiet  publicatJon  SocJets 


PREFACE 


This  volume  will  possess  at  least  the  value 
ot  showing  that  a  great  amount  of  travelinir  can 
be  done  in  Palestine  in  fifteen  clays.     Many  busy 
pastors  and  laymen  are  prevented  from  attempt- 
]ng  to  visit  Palestine  because  their  time  is  lim- 
ited,  and  they  think  they  must  spend  a  month 
or   SIX    weeks   in   the    Holy    Land.     Doubtless 
one  might  well   remain  as  long  as  that,  if  he 
had  sufficient  time  for  that   purpose.      Special 
students  do  we  1  to  spend  years  in  this  historic 
country ;  but  this  volume  will  show  that  much 
can  be  done  in  two  weeks.     With  the  exception 
of  Hebron,  Tyre   Sidoii,  and  a  few  other  local- 
ities,  all  places  of  great  interest  west  of  the  Jordan 
were  visited  ;  but  some  points  of  the  country  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  Dead  Sea  had  to  be  seen  partly 
hroiigh    the   eyes   of   others.     The   counfry  is 
small,  and  an  energetic  traveler,  especially  one 
who  IS  not  greatly  fatigued  by  riding  his  horse, 
can  accomplish  much  in  fifteen  days.     Soon  rail' 
ways  will   be  built  over  all   the  country,  and 

oW^    r^/'"  .''"^  ''  ^^  "^"^^^  ^^  the  archaic 
charm  of  its  ancient  customs,  they  will  greatly 

but  still  interesting  and  sacred  land. 
Many  pastors  and  business  men  are  deterred 


VI 


PRKKACK 


from  visiting-  Paleslinc  because  sunimcr  is  their 
usual  holiday  season.  With  most  pastors  the 
winter  and  spring  are  the  harvest  seasons  for 
their  churches ;  to  be  absent  then  is  virtually  to 
lose  a  whole  year's  work.  Of  course,  spring  is 
the  best  time  in  which  to  visit  Palestine.  Then 
the  grass  is  abundant  and  green  ;  then  flowers  of 
many  kinds  make  the  country  beautiful  with 
varied  charms.  Then  also  the  weather  is  pleas- 
ant, and  traveling  in  companies  cai^  more  readily 
be  arranged  than  at  other  seasons.  In  summer, 
or  in  the  early  autumn,  the  country  is  parched 
from  the  heat,  vegetation  has  largely  disappeared, 
and  with  it  many  attractions.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  prices  are  then  much  lower,  hotels  are  not 
crowded,  and  dragomans  are  more  easily  secured. 
Those  who  speak  of  the  heat  as  being  so  great 
in  India,  Egypt,  and  Palestine,  are  usually  tourists 
from  Great  Britain  or  from  northern  Ciermany. 
The  writer  was  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  in 
Japan,  China,  Ceylon,  India,  Egypt,  and  Palcs- 
stine  between  the  months  of  June  and  October, 
arriving  in  Palestine  at  the  end  of  September, 
and  leaving  about  the  middle  of  October ;  and 
he  found  no  day  in  any  country  as  hot  as  were 
the  closing  days  of  May  in  New  York  before  he 
left  for  his  trip.  A  clerical  friend  spent  the 
months  of  June,  July,  and  August,  in  the  city 
of  Jerusalem,  and  he  affirms  that  it  was  one  of 
the  plcosantest  summer  resorts  he  ever  enjoyed. 
There  ii  a  vast  amount  of  worthless  tradition 
regarding  the  great  heat  of  these  countries. 
A  visit  to  Palestine  will  be  disappointing  to 


PRKFACE 


vii 


nay  excellent  Cl,ri.stia„,s ;  but  if  „  ,o„rist  ™e^ 
wit  1  the  present  condition  of  the  conntry  c  , ^d v 
>»  l>is  n.nul,  and  prepared  to  experie,?ce  so„d 

wmcl    tune  and  nus-H^overnnient  have  wrouidit 

e  w,ll  con,e  bael<  with  l,i.s  faith  strengthene  ' 

s  knowledge  greatly  increased,  and  hk  Kib  e 

■'   Znf  f   "^  "'"  '"  "'''^'  '"  «">■  -it     Ke  an 

utals  o  Matthew  and  Mark,  instead  of  an  abs    act 
I  cn,g  that  one  wonhl  say  had  never  existed   r 

Nev^Vl?';''"^'"  '"•;"■'"■  ««"^^  ''^-^  »"<1    '  ove  " 
fl,?=      V    "'■'^  "'""^  ''°"'  I'estaments  .so  rea     o 

iiistoncaJ    and   experiinenta     facts    with%nnJ 

chSiife  "Tt'7 '°  ''^■'"^"■^'-"  ""ties  irti; 

,7 j     7,    "  \^^^-     ^"^   liccause  of  their   primarv 

'-•.e'th^i::rh-]ranrr^i^ 

o..  .r^endin,  to  n.ake  the  fo.^^^r  aS,lV° 

fst's  H.^l   'i"^?""  Syria,"  and  Cook's  "W 

s  s  Handbook  of   Palestine  and  Syria  "  were 

while  ou  the   ourney,  a  daily  and  even  hour  ; 


VIU 


PR»iFACE 


*'  7>ade  mccumy  Amoiij^  other  autlioritics  con- 
sulted arc  Smith's,  McClintock  and  Strong's,  Kit- 
to's,  and  other  Bible  dictionaries ;  Stanley's  "  Syr- 
ia and  Palestine  "  ;  ''  Recent  Discoveries  on  the 
Temple  Hill,"  by  Rev.  James  King,  m.  a.  ;  "  Cleo- 
patra's Needle,"  by  the  same  author  ;  "  The  Dis- 
eases of  the  Bible,"  by  Sir  Risdon  Bennett,  M.  D., 
LL.  D.,  F.  R.  s. ;  *'  Fresh  Light  from  the  Ancient 
Monuments,"  by  A.  H.  Sayce,  \X.  d.  ;  "  Kgypt  and 
Syria,"  by  Sir  J.  W.  Dawson  ;  Geikie's  "  Hours 
with  the  Bible ; "  "  In  the  Levant,"  by  Charles 
Dudley  Warner  ;  "  Bible  Lands  Illustrated,"  by 
Rev.  H.  C.  Fish,  d.  d.  ;  "  The  Historical  Geog- 
raphy of  the  Holy  Land,"  by  George  Adam 
vSmith,  D.  D.  ;  "  Handbook  of  the  Holy  Land," 
by  Henrv  B.  Waterman,  d.  d.  ;  and  "  Galilee  in 
the  Time  of  Christ,"  by  Selah  Merrill,  D.  D. 
Where  the  writer's  indebtedness  is  direct  and 
conscious,  he  has  striven  to  acknowledge  it  in 
the  body  of  the  text. 

This  hurried  visit  to  the  land  of  patriarchs 
and  prophets,  the  land  of  evangelists  and  apos- 
tles, and  above  all  the  land  of  Jesus  Christ,  has 
given  deepened  love  to  Him  who  is  the  end  of 
revelation,  the  ideal  of  character,  the  inspiration 
of  life,  and  the  glory  of  eternity.  That  this  vol- 
ume may  honor  the  Bible  and  glorify  Christ  is 
the  author's  chief  desire  and  prayer. 


R.  S.  MacA. 


Jalvary  Study,  New  York,  Jan.,  1900. 


CONTENTS 


LECTURE  I 


The  Land  of  the  Hook 

Different  Names  of  -the  I.aml  "-Houn.laries  of 
Canaan-Sue    of    the    Country-Hi^jlnvay   between 
l;«ypt   and    Assyria-lJattlff.eld    of    the    Nations- 
kautifully    Diversified-Its   Plains-Valley   of    the 
Jordan-Its  Rivers  and  Streams-Lakes  or  Seas-Its 
Uorious  Mountains-Its  Climate- Varieties  in  Pro- 
duct.ons-Land   of   Ruins  above   All    Other  Coun- 
tries-Its  Various  Nationalities,  Creeds,  and  Seets- 
Return  of  the  Jews-Their  Two  M„,„  lUulies-Pos- 
s.b.ht.es   of  the   Overthrow    of    -Mhe    Cnspeakahle 
lurk    — (,ood  (Jovernmenf.  and  it  Would  Again  be 
a    'Land  Flowing  with  Milk  and  Money." 

LECTURE  II 
JopPA — "Beauty" 

Sail   from    Alexandria   to    Joppa-First   View    of 
Joppa-Thoughts   on  the   Holy   Lnncl-Diff-iculty  in 
Landmg-Classical  Joppa-Biblical  Joppa-Modern 
Joppa-I  resent  Appearance-American  and  German 
Colonists— Oriental  Associations. 


(( 


LECTURE  III 
Going  Up  to  Jerusalem  "    .    . 


^    Railway  to  Jerusalem-Plain  of  Sharon-Lydda 
Its  Names,  History,  and  Church  of  St.  (Jeor^e-Ram- 


13 


24 


ix 


CONTENTS 


leh,  its  Name,  Traditions,  Tower,  Ophthalmic  Dis- 
eases, as  at  Lydda — Ajalon — Jimzu — iJclh-horon — 
Joshua's  Prayer — Did  Sun  and  Moon  Really  Stand 
Still  ? — Joshua's  Famous  March — Makkedah,  where 
the  Five  Kings  were  Slain — Latrun  and  its  Traditions 
— Emmaus,  not  that  of  Luke — Abou-gosch,  named 
from  Famous  Robber — Kirjath-jearim,  "City  of  the 
Woods,"  and  its  Great  Memories — Gibeon  and  its 
Cunning  Townspeople — The  Country  of  Samson — 
Zorah,  Timnath,  Sorek,  and  Delilah — Nearing  Jeru- 
salem— iioly  Land  about  Size  of  Wales  or  New 
Hampshire — Railway  Station — Valley  of  Hinnora — 
Tower  of  David — Jaffa  Gate — Jerusalem  ! 

LECTURE  IV 
Jerusalem — "  Habitation  of  Peace  " 37 

Some  Travelers  Disappointed  with  Jerusalem — 
Doul)t  Regarding  the  Sacred  Sites — Quotation  from 
Renp.n  Regarding  Effect  of  Visiting  Holy  Land — 
Origin  of  Word  Jerusalem — Location  of  the  City — 
History :  Where  First  Mentioned ;  Salem,  then 
Jebus  ;  David's  and  Solomon's  Times  ;  Temple  Built ; 
Captured ;  Babylonish  Captivity ;  Alexander  the 
Great ;  Ptolemy  ;  Under  the  Maccabees  ;  Romans  ; 
Destruction;  Constantine  and  Helena  ;  Caliph  Omar; 
Crusaders ;  Turkish  Sway  in  1840 — Modern  Jeru- 
salem—  Excavations  Going  Forward  —  The  Chief 
Gates — The  Leading  Streets — Various  Peoples  and 
Faiths — The  Charitable  Institutions. 


LECTURE  V 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre 52 

Approach  to  the  Church — Clamorous  Peddlers  and 
Impudent  Beggars — Synopsis  of  History  of  the 
Church — Question  of  Site — Claims  of  other  Places 
to  be  the  Site — Is  the  Traditional  View  Correct  ? — 


CONTENTS 


XI 


17 


Visiting  the  Church,  its  Rotunda,  Chapels,  and  other 
Sacred  riaces-The  Holy  Fire— Horrible  Scenes- 
Parts  Owned  by  Different  Churches. 

LECTURE  VI 
The  Mosque  of  Omar  ........  g . 

The  Great  Altar  Mountain— Marvelous  Spot— Its 
Wonderful  Memories— Christ  in  the  Temple— The 
Temple  Area  and  its  Names— The  Moscp'e  :  its 
Dome  ;  Interior  ;  Windows  ;  the  Sacred  Rock  ;  I'ray- 
ing  Places  ;  Mysterious  Slab— Mosque  el-Aksa— The 
Cradle  of  Christ— So-called  Throne  of  Solomon— El 
Kas,  or  the  Cup— Stirring  Views— Historic  Scenes. 


LECTURE  VII 
Various  Interesting  Places— Jaffa  Gate 

Jaffa  Gate  with  its  Needle's  Eye— The  Tower  of 
David— The  Royal  Quarries  :  theii  Discovery ;  their 
Characteristics  ;  their  Relation  to  tlu;  Various  Temples 
—The  Jews'  Wailing  Place  :  the  Dcjcjiption  ;  the 
Wailers;  the  Litany— The  Via  Dolorosa— The  Tomb 
cf  David— The  Coenaculum— \Vas  this  Really  the 
Place  ? 


77 


LECTURE  VIII 

''Round  Arout  Jerusalem"  .  ^, 

Valley  of  Gihon— Valley  of  Ilinnom— Worship  of 
Moloch-"  Field  of  Wood  "-"  Pool  of  Siloam  "— 
King's  Garden  and  Dale— Tombs  of  Zechariah  and 
Absalom- Valley  of  Jehoshaphat-Garden  of  Geth- 
semane:  Location:  Features;  Reality;  Tender 
Memories;  Significance. 


Xll 


CONTENTS 


LECTURE  IX 
Bethlehem— ** House  of  Bread" ,o 

No  Sweeter  Name-Valley  of  Rephaim-Road  to 
Bethlehem-Well    of    -The    Star ''-Mar    Elyas- 
Tomb  of  Rachel-Ancient  Zelyah-Solomon's  Pools 
-Is   Urtas   Emmaus?- Claims  of    El-Kubeibch- 
View  of  Bethlehem-Historical  Facts-Plain  of  the 
Shepherds-The  Church  of  the   Nativity  •    Its  For- 
tress-hke  Appearance  ;  its  Convents  ;  its  Size.  Nave, 
and  Roof;  Chapel  or  Grotto  of  the  Nativity-The 
Star  ,n  the  Marble  Slab-Kneeling  Pilgrims-Latin 
Inscnption-Ever-burning  Lamps-A-.rring  Faiths- 
Chnpel  of  Manger-Altar  of  the  Magi-Altar  of  the 
Innocents-Tomb  of  St.    Jerome-Well  of  Bethle- 
hem-Back  to  Jerusalem-Groups  of  Lepers. 

LECTURE  X 
From  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  ....  g 

Passing  through  St.  Stephen's  Gate-The  Mount 
of  Ohves-The  Doomed  Fig  Tree-Bethphage-Beth- 
any-Was  This  the  Grave  of  Lazarus  ?-The  Ala- 
baster  Box-Place  of  the  Ascension-Down  to  Jeri- 
cho-Place  of  Desolation-Petrified  Waves-Fero- 
cious  Bedouins-Wild  Gorges--  Brook  Cherith  "_ 
Valley  of  Achor-Jericho,  "Place  of  Fragrance "- 
Abommable  Riha-Ancient  Gilgal-Bathing  Place- 
Suggestive  Memories-Our  Lord's  Baptism-His  In- 
structive  Example. 


The  Dead  Sea 


LECTURE  XI 


Largest  Lake  in  Palestine-Never  Much  Navi- 
gated—Its Names  and  Characteristics-History  of  the 
Deed  Sea-Bathing  in  the  Sea-Superstitious  Views 


128 


03 


CONTENTS 


Xlll 


Largely  Uemoved— Nauseous  Character— ScientiHc 
Results— lieautiful  and  Terrible— The  Earth  May 
Contain  all  the  Elements  Necessary  for  the  World's 
Destruction. 

LECTURE  XII 

The  Cities  of  the  Plain 

•••• 140 

Their  Names  and  Number— Were  they  at  the 
South  or  the  North  End  of  the  Lake?— The  De- 
struction of  the  Cities- W^hat  were  the  "  Slimepits  "  ? 
Sir  J.  W.  Dawson's  View— Natural  Conditions  and 
Divme  Punishments— Natural  and  Supernatural- 
Petroleum  in  Canada— Recent  Volcanoes— Meaning 
of  "  Brimstone  "—Recapitulation  of  Argument- 
How  About  Lot's  Wife?— Not  a  "Pillar"  but  a 
Mound-The  Laws  of  Nature  are  the  Laws  of  God 
—Way  of  Escape  Then  and  Now. 

LECTURE  XIII 

Jerusalem   to   Bethel 

150 

Turning  Northward  Roads  Become  Permanent- 
Historic  Travelers  Over  this   Road— Last  Views  of 
Jerusalem-Shaphat,  the   Ancient  Nob— Gibeah  of 
Saul— The  Motherly   Love  of  Rizpah— Geba,     An- 
athoth,  Ramah— Beeroth,  the  Modern  El  Bireth— Ai 
with  its  Memories  of  Achan,  of  Defeat  and  Victory-^ 
Bethel,    the    Household    Word-Practical    Lessons 
Suggested  by  the  Journey  over  Desolate  Hills  and 
Ancient  Roads,  and  the  Sight  of  Bethel. 


LECTURE  XIV 


Bethel  to  Shiloh 


Modern   Name  of  Bethel    is    Betin-Luz    Older 
Name  than  Bethel-Abraham  and  Lot  Came  from 


159 


XIV 


CONTENTS 


the  Jordan — Lot's  Selfish  Choice — Jacob's  Journey — 
His  Sleep  and  Dream — Erection  of  Altar — Thirty 
Years  Later — Ark  of  Covenant  Here — Seat  of  Gross 
Idolatry  —  Bethel  Changed  into  Bethaven  —  The 
Golden  Calf — Jeroboam  I'unished — Elisha,  Children 
and  She-bears  near  Bethel — Ephraim — "Glen  of  the 
Robbers  "  —  Approaching  Shiloh  —  Lessons  from 
Places  Visited,  Need  of  an  Altar  to  God — Heaven 
and  Earth  Still  Near — Christ  the  True  Ladder. 

LECTURE  XV 
Shiloh — "Peace" 167 

Fruitful  Fields  of  Ephraim — Jifna,  the  Ancient 
Gophnah — Tibneh,  Supposed  to  be  Timnath-Serah — 
Sinjil,  Perhaps  the  Saint  Giles  of  the  Crusaders — 
Seilun,  the  Ancient  Shiloh,  Meaning  "Peace  " — In- 
teresting Historical  Events — The  Daughters  of  Shiloh 
— Here  the  Ark  and  Tabernacle — The  Ancient  Well — 
Hannah's  Prayer — Samuel's  Boyhood — Eli  and  his 
Sons — Capture  of  the  Ark — Death  of  Eli — Birth  of 
Son,  but  Death  of  the  Mother — Child  Called  "  Icha- 
bod  " — The  Prophet  Ahijah — Traces  of  Tabernacle 
— Joshua's  Tomb — Discovery  of  Flint  Knives — Hast- 
ing to  Jacob's  Well — Plain  of  Mukhna — Discoveries 
of  Science  Endorsing  Teachings  of  Bible — Professor 
Toy's  Recent  Assertion,  and  its  Refutation. 


LECTURE  XVI 
Jacob's  Well  and  Joseph's  Tomb 177 

Reaching  Jacob's  Well — Heaps  of  Rubbish — Jews, 
Christians,  and  Moslems  Agree  as  to  This  Place — 
Here  We  are  on  Ground  Trodden  by  Christ — Dr. 
Hanna's  Words — Our  Surroundings — The  Well  De- 
scribed— Picture  of  Christ  Here — Why  Jacob  Dug 
This  Well— WTiy  Did  Woman  of  Samaria  Come 
Here  for  Water? — Building  over  Joseph's  Tomb — 


Foiirney — 
r—'ihirty 
of  Gross 
:n  --  The 
Children 
-n  of  the 
IS    from 

-Heaven 
r. 


CONTENTS 


XV 


UI  ey  of  Nablus-VVhere  Abraham's  Oak  Stood- 
lurkish  Uarracks-Beauty  of  the  Valley-What  Mo- 
hammed Said  of  Syria  and  the  Mountain  of  Nablus 
-A  Greater  than  Jacob.  Joseph,  or  Joshua  Here. 

LECTURE  XVII 
Nablus  and  the  Samaritans  . 


i86 


167 


Ancient 
Jerah — 
iders — 
"-In- 
Shiloh 
Well— 
nd  his 
rth  of 
Icha- 
rnacle 
Hast- 
ISeries 
fessor 


177 


iWS, 

;e — 
Dr. 
De- 
)ug 
me 


Meaning  of  Word  Nablus-Other  Names  of  the 
1  own- fhe  Biblical  and  .Secular  History-Glances 
a  Mounts  Ebal  and  Gerizim-Joshua's  Pulpit- 
Marked  Features  of  Nablus-Sublime  Scene  of  the 
Ratification  of  the  Law-The  Samaritan  I'eople-The 
Samaritan  Quarters-The  Codex  of  the  Pentateuch 
-Their  .Synagogue-Their  Creed-Special  Rites- 
h-nmity  between  Them  and  the  Jews. 

LECTURE  XVIII 

From  Nablus  to  Samaria 

„  195 

Eb;i "  T^^'V^^c"^,.  ^'«""g-Climbed  Over  Part  of 
Ebal-T,r2ah-.Sahm-Samaria:  Its  Location-  Its 
History;  Modern    Name;   Terrible  Siege     Visit  of 

fohnVt'"'-  ^^«^--^<^-  Schoolic'hurch  o 
John  the  Baptist-His  Alleged  Tomb-Obadiah's 
Also-Superb  Rums-Noble  Monoliths-Traditional 
S.tes-Wonderful  Fulfillment  of  Prophecy. 

LECTURE  XIX 
From  Samaria  to  Dothan  and  Jenin 


Valley  of  Barley-View  of  Abel-Meholah-Dothan. 
•'Two  VVells  "-Joseph.  -This  Dreamer  "-Th^ 
Sons  of  Jacob  with  their  Flocks-Came  from  He- 
bron-Joseph's ..Coat  of  Many  Colors."  Not  a  Coat 
of  Many  Colors-Thrown  Into  and  Drawn  from  the 
Fit-Taken  Away  to  Exaltation  in  Egypt  and  Immor- 


204 


XVI 


CONTENTS 


tality  in  the  World — Elisha  at  Dothan--Ben-hadad 
the  Syrian — Compassing  the  City — Fear  on  the  Part 
of  Elisha's  Servant — Elisha's  Prayer — Mountain  P'ull 
of  Horses  and  Chariots — Syrians  Blinded,  Captured, 
Conducted  to  Samaria — Arriving  at  Jenin,  the  En- 
gannim  of  Scripture — Lessons  for  To-day  from  the 
Olden  Time. 

LECIURE  XX 
The  Plain  of  Esdraelon 215 

Conspicuous  in  Topography  of  Palestine — Scarcely 
Less  so  in  History  of  Israel — The  Battlefield  of  the 
Nations — Name  and  Shape  of  Plain — Scripture  Places 
Thereon — Most  Noted  Modern  Contest,  that  Be- 
tween the  Turks  and  Napoleon  in  1799 — Great  Rich- 
ness if  the  Plain  Naturally — Its  Present  Desolation 
— Farmed  out  in  great  Part  by  Rich  Men  in  Damas- 
cus and  Beirut — Prowling  Bedouins — Summary  of 
the  Great  Battles  of  Israel — God  Raising  Up  Wit- 
nesses to  the  Truth  of  the  Bible. 

LECTURE  XXI 
Zerin,  the  Ancient  Jezreel 225 

Starting  from  Jenin — Seeing  Jaanach  on  our  Left — 
Reaching  the  Historic  Megiddo — Deborah  and  Barak 
Against  Sisera — Jezreel,  "God's  Sowing" — What 
Memories  Here  ! — Jezebel's  Malign  Intiuence — 
Ahab's  Fatal  Weakness — F'lijah's  Curse  Fulfilled — 
Death  of  Ahab — Fearful  Fate  of  Jezebel — Continu- 
ance of  her  Influence  in  Israel  and  Judah — Weak- 
ness is  Wickedness — Evils  of  Unholy  Marriage — God 
Will  Assuredly  Punish  Sin. 

LECTURE  XXII 
Fountain  of  Gideon 235 

Description  of  the  Fountain — Dashing  Soldiers  of 


I 


i 


» 


CONTENTS 


XVU 


215 


25 


Heroic  Gideon-The  Noble   Three  Hundred-The 
Country  Devastated-Coming  of  the  Children  of  the 
Last— 1  heir  Gorgeous  Display— Names  of  Chiefs- 
Meaning  of  the  Names-Gideon,  the  Deliverer-His 
I-amily-IIis    Employment    When    Called  by  God's 
Messenger-The  Assurance  Given  Mim-The  Tests 
to  which  God  Condescended-The  New  Era  Dawns 
-1  he  Men  who  Lapped-Meaning  of   the   Act- 
Ground    of    Gideon's   Choice-Sanctified    Common 
Sense-Quality  More  Valuable  than  (.)uantity-The 
Mighty    Host   of    Midian-The   Stealthy   M^rch   of 
Gideon  and  His  Servant-Dream  of  the  Midianite- 
Interpretation  Thereof-The  Mysterious  Barley  Cake 
-Midnight-Lamp,  Pitchers,  and  Trumpets-Defeat 

1^11  /';^7r'<;,^''"'"'  ^'''  I'ursuing  "-Punishing 
the  Unfaithful-Slaymg  the  Foe-Refusing  to  be  Made 
a  King— Lessons  for  To-day. 

LECTURE  XXIII 

Mount  Gilroa  and  its  Battle 

249 

Battle  of  Gilboa— Proximity  of  Important  Places- 
Near  the  Fountain  of  Gideon-The  Camp  of  Israel 
—Israelites    long    Masters— Saul's    Evil   Case— De- 
serted  of  God  and    Man— Darkness  in   His  Soul- 
Seeks    the   Witch   of  Endor,    "The  Mistress  of  the 
•Ob'"— See  Him  Go  with  Two  Attendants -They 
Arnve-The  Spirit  of  Samuel  Apparently  Aroused— 
The  Woman  Startled-Saul  Overwhelmed-Ihe  Next 
Day  Comes-The  Battle    Rages-See  Saul  and  the 
Noble  Jonathan-Saul  Wounded-His  Sons  Dead- 
The  Dizziness  of  Death-Falling  on   His  Sword-A 
Wild   Amalekite    Gives   the    Last     Stroke-David's 
Lament-Israel's    Terrible     Defeat-Saul's    Down- 
ward  Course-"  The    Mighty  Fallen    in   the    Midst 
of  the    Battle,"    and   Fallen   also   in   Early   Moral 
Conflict. 


9 


XVlll 


CONTENTS 


LECTURE  XXIV 
Shunem — "Double  Resting-Pi,ace" 258 

Sulem,  the  Shunem  of  Scripture — Approach  to  the 
Village — The  Grove  and  the  Streams — At  Shunem 
the  Philistines  Encamped — Home  of  the  Shunammite 
Woman — Elisha's  Visit — Chamber  on  the  Wall — Her 
Kindness  —  Her  Deprivation — Elisha's  Promise — 
Birth  of  a  Son — His  Illness — "My  Head,  My 
Head" — Taken  to  His  Mother — At  Noon  Dead — 
Application  to  the  Prophet — The  Woman  Hastening 
Over  the  Plain — Eli.sha's  Servant — Elisha  Himself — 
Her  Return — The  Servant  and  the  Staff  Powerless — 
Elisha  Alone  with  Dead — "Take  Up  Thy  Son  " — 
Wonderful  Moment — Sorrow  Comes  to  All — All  in 
Sorrow  May  go  to  God — Lesson  of  Hospitality — 
Greatest  Men  Powerless  without  God. 

LECTURE  XXV 
Nain  and  its  Widow — Endor  and  its  Witch  .   .  269 

Nain  Mentioned  Nowhere  in  the  Old  Testament — 
Fine  Location — A  Few  Hamlets — Nain  Lives  Ever 
in  the  World's  Heart— Christ  Glorified  it  by  His 
Compassion  and  Power — The  Woman's  Double  Sor- 
row— Christ's  Discriminate  Sympathy — His  Words  of 
Power — Glorious  Moment — Contrast  between  His 
Miracles  and  Those  of  Elijah  and  Elisha — Nain  Will 
Live  When  Nineveh,  Babylon,  Athens,  and  Rome  are 
Forgotten — Endor — "Spring  of  Dor,"  or  "Home 
Spring" — Endor  Not  Mentioned  in  the  New  Testa- 
tament — Location — Description  of  Caves — One  Large 
— Squalid  People — The  Witch  and  the  Apparition — 
Saul's  Sad  Straits — Explanations  Offered — Are  They 
Correct? — One  Endorsed — Did  Samuel  Appear  Be- 
fore the  Woman  Began  her  Incantations  ? — Terrible 
was  the  Effect  on  Saul — Saul  at  Times  Seemingly  Irre- 


CONTENTS 


XIX 


258 


169 


sponsible  for  his  Acts_IJ„t  Responsible  for  Earlier 

fr'lZ^""^  ^^"'  Mocked-Unbelievers  in  (Jod 
and  the  B.ble  will  became  Believers  in  Things  Abso- 
lutely Impossible  and  Supremely  Silly. 

LECTURE  XXVI 
Bethshan—"  House  OF  Rest" 27 

Cnown  as  Scythopolis  and  Now  Beisan-Situation 
Lnusually  Attractive-Ruins  Very  Interesting-De- 
scnption  of  Fragments  of  Columns,  Pillars,  and  Other 
Remams-Traces  of  Massive  VValls-The  Amphithe- 
atre-Many Nationalities  Left  their  Impress-Early 
Mention  of  the  Town-Its  History  through  Diff  .rent 
Civihzations-Bishops  of  Scy thopolis-Place  Desolate 
m  the  Middle  Ages-In  Time  of  Crusaders-Level 
Ground  had  Influence  in  Battles-Here  on  the  Walls 
Decapitated  Body  of  Saul  was  Placed  by  the  Philis- 
tines-Men  of  Jabesh-Gilead  Took  it  Down-They 
Cremated  Flesh-First  Case  of  Cremation  Mentioned 
m  Bible-They  Buried  Bones  of  Saul  and  his  Sons 
Under  Tree  and  Fasted  Seven  Days-Feeling  Re- 
garding  Unburied  Bodies-Similar  To-Day  in  Several 
Countries-David's    Appreciation    of    the    Men    of 
Jabesh-Gilead-The    Suggestion   for   us    Regarding 
David's  Lord.  ^ 

LECTURE  XXVII 

Mount  Tabor— "  Height  "  o 

209 

Rises  Like  a  Dome-Its  Attractive  Appearance- 
Its  Location-History  of  the  Mountain-Deborah 
the  Joan  of  Arc  of  the  Time-Both  Poet  and  Patriol 
-Her  Husband's  Name-Her  Own  Means  •'  Bee  " 
-The  Whole  Country  Aroused-Barak,  "light- 
ning"_The  Tribes  Gathering-Meet  on  Mount 
Tabor-Sisera  Collects  Forces-Battle  Begins- 
Stars    m    their    Courses     Fought  "-Rains     De- 


XX 


CONTENTS 


scendcd — Floods  Came  —  Chariots  Mired  —  Horses 
Plunge  —  Sisera  Flees — Jael's  Tent  —  Gives  Him 
"Lebben"— He  Sleeps— Tent  and  Mallet— She 
Strikes — He  Dies — Terrible  Treachery — i)eborah's 
Song — IJible  and  Jael's  Act — Tabor  in  the  Gallery  of 
Memory. 

LECTURE  XXVIU 
Nazarkth — "THE  Guarded  One" 299 

Tender  Thoughts  at  Nazareth — Meaning  of  Word 
— Old  Interpretations  Set  Aside — Location  of  Town — 
Population  and  Characteristics — Modern  Name — His- 
tory of  the  Town — Relation  to  Christ  and  his  Family 
— Places  of  Interest  :  Church  of  the  Annunciation  ; 
Chapel  of  Joseph  ;  Legend  of  Holy  House;  Work- 
shop of  Joseph  ;  Table  of  Christ ;  Mount  of  Precipi- 
tation ;  The  Synagogue  ;  The  Fountain  of  the  Virgin 
— Religious  Work  in  the  Town — The  Ueauty  of  the 
Women — Grand  Prospects — Lesson  of  Christ's  Hu- 
manity, Industry,  and  Obedience — How  he  Learned 
Here. 

LECTURE  XXIX 
Cana   of    Galilee 310 

From  Nazareth  to  Cana — Birthplace  of  the  Prophet 
Jonah — Is  Cana  Really  Cana  ? — Distance  from  Naza- 
reth— Water-pots  Still  Used  Here — The  Church  on 
Site  of  House  where  Miracle  was  Performed — 
Where  Are  the  Six  Jars  ? — Here  Healing  for  Noble- 
man's Son — His  Imperfect  Faith-  Christ's  Beginning 
of  Miracles — He  Bided  his  Time — Too  Many  Men 
in  Hurry — This  Miracle  Symbol  of  his  Earthly  Work 
— So  his  First  Parable  of  All  his  Teaching — Firj.t 
Miracle  at  a  Wedding  Feast — Christ  No  Ascetic — He 
Did  Gently  Rebuke  his  Mother — Marriage  Holy  as 
Celibacy — Christ  Cares  for  the  Wants  of  Others — He 


CON'TEN'TS 


XXI 


Mad 


e  Good  Wirie-ireMad 


e  it  in  Abundance— Kc- 


lig.on  Always  Keeps  ih.  JJcM  ...  the  Last. 

LKCTURK  XXX 


MouvT  OF  Beatitudi:; 


?9 


I^ive-They  Have      A  "':"'  ""^'  '"^  ^^''"^"^•'' 

ness."       '^"^'^      ^^  ^^"H^ftual  Contemporaneous. 

iJ':cti;re  xxxi 


319 


The  Sea  of  Galilee 


329 


First  Glimpse  of  Sea-Hesitated  to  Tike  If     T 
Good  to  be  keil     Who*  •     -.     T  't— Too 

I^ECTURE  XXXII 
Town  of  Tiberias 

^■IQ 

Chris.  Probably  Never  Vi.i.ed  I,-Wri.er  There 


xxu 


conti:nts 


v 


r 


During;  l*"'.'nst  of  TalxTuncles — History  of  Tiln-rins  — 
Its  Various  I'critHls— Various  Nulioiialiliis  -Slni^^tjlfs 
of  Chri:;lianity — Jowisli  Sciiools — I-oariud  Kaiiliiiis — 
The  Modern  Town — I'rotestant  Missions  an<l  I  Ins. 
pitftl — Different  Sorts  of  Jews — Sacred  IJurial  (.irouncl 
— Maimonides  and  Other  (ireat  Jews  lUiried  Here  — 
Study  of  Talmud  Still  llourislies — Jerome  Learned 
Hebrew  from  a  Kalilii  of  Tiberias — The  Historic 
Haths — Why  Christ  Avoided  Tiberiis — Also  Ulhcr 
Half-drcek  Towns. 

LKCrURK  XXXIII 
From  Tiukrias  to  Tkl  Hum 348 

Daybreak  on  (jalilenn  Sen — Shores  A^;low  with 
Splendor  of  Sunrise — Road  on  ISluff — Horns  of  Hattin 
A({ain  Seen — Wady  I'ik  Opposite  Tiberias — Site  and 
Importance  of  Taricheiv — 'I'iberias  and  the  Residence 
of  "The  King  of  Fleas" — Majjdala,  its  Wretched 
People — I'oor  Dwellings — Immortal  because  of  Mary 
Magdalene — (Ireat  Injustice  Done  Her — Coasts  of 
Magdala — "Valley  of  Doves" — Overcoming  Rol)- 
bers  l)y  Soldiers  Let  Down  in  Cages — Land  of  Gen- 
ncsaret — Shores  of  This  Plain — "(Children,  Have 
Ye  Any  Meat?" — Khan  Minyeh — Was  This  Caper- 
naum?— Ain-et  Tabigah — (lerman  Colony — (Iround 
Trodden  by  Jesus — Christ-visited  Shores — Vocal 
with  his  Words — Radiant  with  his  Clory. 


LECTURE  XXXIV 
Capernaum,  Chorazin,  Bethsaida 357 

Many  Perplexing  Questions  of  Sites — Capernaum 
Christ's  "Own  City" — Our  Lord's  Solemn  Warn- 
ings— Where  Was  Capernaum  ? — Different  Authori- 
ties— C'anon  Tristram  and  the  "  Round  l'"f)untain  " — 
Is  Tel  Hum  Capernaum? — Remains  of  Synn<jogue — 
Location  of  Chorazin — Is  it  at  Kerazeh? — Interest- 


CONTICN'TS 


XXlll 


348 


357 


inK  Kimains-Hfthsni<la-Wfre  there  Two  ncth- 
saul«s?_(harminK  Vicw.s-(ilori..us  Moonlijjht  ou 
the  bea— Christ's  Wurnings  Knllillcd. 

M'XTURI-:  XXXV 
From  Capf.rnaum  to  Cksakka-I'hilipi.i  ....  367 

Khan    Vuhb   Yu.sef_Snfc,l_\V„s  it   the   City  on 
n.I?-()ne   of    Pour    Holy   Cities-Names   „f    the 
Othors-CJIimpse  of  its  History-Maniu-r  of  its  Uuild- 
inKs-I^urf/e  l'opuIati..n_H„w  I)ivi.i.><l-I>r.  Thoin. 
son's  Thrilling  description  of   K«rlli.|uake  Tiiere- 
Mfiron-Tomhs     of    Celel.rated    Talniudists-Kefr 
Hmm-Kadesh   Naphtali-]lazor-I,ako    IluUh- 
"  Waters  of  Meroin  "-Shape  of  I.ake-Size-Char- 
acter  of  Shores-Hedouins  Fishing  and   Hunting  in 
Vicin.ty-New    and    Prosperous   'iown    of   Jews- 
Meeting  American   Haptists-Tel    el- Kadi,  or  Dan 
Meanmg  Judge-One   Source  of  Jordan-Arriving 
in  lianias.  •* 

LECTURK  XXXVI 
Banias,  the  Ancient  O.sarea-Philippi  . 

The  Sheik's   -Upper  Room  ' -Trouble  Between 
Druses  and  the  Metawilehs-Whence  Comes  Name 
Banias? -Worship    of    I3aal  -  Worship   of    Pan- 
Herod's  Temple-Misinterpretation  by  Romanists  of 
Christ  s  Words  to  Peter-Situation   and  Description 
of  Ranias-Lnvirons    Very    15eautiful-So   is   Com 
bination  of  Woods.  Streams,  and  Hills-Ruins  of  Old 
Temples  and   Palaces-Most   Attractive   Spot-One 
Source  of  Jordan-Ancient  Sanctuary  of  Pan— The 
Paneum-Wely  of  St.   Oec^ge-Cavern  of  Spring- 
The  Rock-'MhouArt  Peter  "-Did  This   Historic 
Rock    Suggest    l-orm    of  (^)uestion    and    Answer   of 
Chnst?_PIace    of     Our    Lord's     Transfiguration- 
Healing  of  Lunatic  Child-Tender  Thoughts-Glori 


377 


XXIV 


CONTKNTS 


ous  Presence  of  Jesus — The  Huge  Caslle — Dean 
Stanley  Compares  its  Size  with  Castle  of  Heidelberg 
— The  Three  Chief  Sources  of  the  Jordan — The 
Course  of  the  River  Traced  to  the  Dead  Sea — Our 
Lord's  Presence  Glorified  Every  Place  he  Visited. 

LECTURE  XXXVil 
From  Banias  to  Damascus 388 

Leaving  Hanias — Druses'  Sheik  as  (iuide — An 
Imposition,  hut  Was  .lelpless — Sunrise  on  Castle  of 
Subeiheh — (jlorious  View  of  Hermon — Its  Several 
Names  and  their  Meanings — It  as  well  as  Lebanon 
the  Mont  t^lnnc  of  Palestine  —  Three  Separate 
Heights — Transdgi.ntion  of  Christ — Dean  Stanley's 
Reference  to  Hermon  in  Hebrew  Poetry — P>reakfast 
at  Winepress — Hot  Ride  Over  Rough  Roads — Wild 
Glens  and  Desolate  Deserts — Then  Abundant 
Streams  and  Luxuriant  Vegetation  —  Traditional 
Burial  Place  of  Niinrod — The  Historic  and  Benefi- 
cent Pharpar — Yonder  Damascus — Here  Supposed 
Place  of  Saul's  Wondrous  Vision — Saul  Smitten  to 
the  Earth — Here  Repose  Sought  and  Found  in  the 
New  Khan — To-morrow  on  to  Damascus,  Oldest 
City  in  the  World  —  Perpetually  Young  —  Much 
Stirred  by  War  between  the  Mountain  Tribes — Tour- 
ist Contractors  Charge  Too  Much — Grand  Chance  of 
Good  Profits  for  Some  American — He  Could  Make 
Money  at  Half-Rates — Syrian  Wedding  Party — Meet- 
ing Four  American  Clergymen — Charms  of  Da- 
mascus. 

LECTURE  XXXVIII 

Damascus  the  Ancient      399 

Oldest  City  in  World — Shakespeare's  Reference  to 
this  Opinion — View  of  Josephus — Its  First  Mention 
in   Scripture — David   and    Damascus — Naaman    the 


CONTENTS 


XXV 


j88 


Nynan- 1  .^lath-Pileser  Subdued  it-I'Iace  in  Isaiah 
Jerenuah      ..ekid.    and   A.no.s-Snhject    to  Variou; 
Nations-Many  Jews  there  when   Under  Ro.nans- 
Connection  with  Apostle  I'aul-Its  Mercantile  Cireat- 
ness-Starting-point  of  Ca.avans-Aiso  of  I'il^rims  to 
Mecca-Kes,dence    of    Christian    Uisl^ops-S^lendor 
Begms  wuh  the    I'rinces   of   the   OnuniyadeLcru- 
saders    Under    Baldwin-Conrad    III.-Taken     by 
Mongols  ,n   1260-Plundered  by  Tartars   i„   ,30(J. 
Sultan  hehm   Took   Possession.   lSi6-Turkish  I'ro- 
vmc^  Cap.tal  Kver  Since-SIaugh.er  of  Christians. 
1860-Locaf  <,n  and  Description-Influence  of  Abana 
and  I  harpar-Charn,s  of  City  and  l>lain-Damask- 
Damascus     Blades-Toledo    Blades-Different     Ba- 
zaars-.; /y/«   ,,,    ,,,,,,    ^^^^^^    ^    VVatclunan- 
lopula, on     Protestant  .Missions-Damascenes  Proud 
of   C  ty-Dogs  Howl  and   Prowl-Creat   Mosque- 
VVonderful    Inscription   on    One    Minaret  -  "Street 
Called   Straight  "-The   Christian  Cen.etery-Grave 
of  Buckle     The  Cates-IIouse  of  Ananias-Drea™ 
lu!,  Charniful  Damascus. 

LECTURE  XXXIX 
Baalbek—''  City  of  the  Sun  "  . 

Railway   Over    Anti-Lebanon-Olorious    Views- 
Zahleh,  I  argest  Town  in  Lebanon-Relatively  Clean 
a.d  Intelhgent-Largely  Christian  and  European" 
^omen     Not^    Generally     Veiled  _  Pertinadty     of 
'Cabby'  -Tomb  of  Noah-Sight  of  Baalbek-I.s 
Names-Its  History- Us  \'ast  Temples-Their  De 
scnpfon       How    Could    Stones   be    Transported  ?- 
H.soryof  I  own-Crusaders-Height    Above  Sea- 
Vas   Stone  Still  at  (^uarry-The  Three  Great  Stones 
-AU  Forms  of  Heathenism  Perish-Jesus  Christ  is 
the  Everlasting  King. 


w 


Jcxvi 


CONl^ENTS 


LECTURE  XL 
Beirut 425 

Railway  Ride  from  Zahleh — Hot  and  Tired — Con- 
fusion at  Customs  Examination — Hold  the  French 
Have  in  Syria — If  Palestine  is  Divided,  France 
Large  Share — Beirut  Largely  Modern  and  Euro- 
pean— Good  Shops — Chief  Seaport  in  Syria — Does 
Large  Trade — Early  History — Derivation  of  the 
Names — Roman  Dominion — Crusaders  Under  Bald- 
win— Earthquakes  Destructive — Residence  of  Druse 
Prince — Bombarded  by  the  English  in  1840 — Cap- 
tured for  the  Turks — After  Massacre  of  Christians  in 
Damascus,  i860,  Population  of  Beirut  Rapidly  In- 
creased— Town  Prosperous  Since — Official  Repre- 
sentatives of  Many  Faiths — American. Mission  Work 
Greatly  Prospered — Noble  American  Missionaries — 
Beneficev.t  Influence  of  Christianity — Gone  Out 
Through  All  Syria — Protestant  Missions  and  Schools 
Stirred  up  Romanists  and  even  Mohammedans — 
Woman  Honored — Leaving  Palestine — Star  of  Hope 
in  the  Dark  Sky — Now  for  "the  Isles  of  Greece." 


i 
^ 


,1 


425 


SUNDAY  NIGHT  LECTURES 


THE  LAND  OF  THE   BOOK 

Ham,  w1,o  divid  d  it  aro"' ''r  ^"T^  =°"  °^ 

opposed  to  "  The  Land  oToil^,  "'I'^tl  e'";  " 
because oTh'""  "^"^d  "The  Land  of  P  IS.  n 

rdet:dar;?{,^«^^^^^^^ 
brews,  the  word  '  H^b  f '"'   "'"^  ^^"^''    Ho- 
over,''and  heui  appLrbv  Jhf  r"^  "';™""' 
Abrnliatn   „».       1  .  i^l''^'^'-    D>  tlie  Canaanites  to 

per  m,s  th^P  i"'  '""''"'«  ">«=  Euphrates ;  or 
t'^lonVLr  patriarchs™'".  '''^^  '"^  '•^•^'  °f 
named  '' ThetaK  r^,  "from  theT  ","'''■' 
or  posterity  of  Jacob,  who'  her^ fc  ^d  1*:' 
Th.s  name  occurs  frequently  in  the  Old  Test": 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURES 


meiit ;  it  included  at  one  time  the  tract  of 
j^round  on  both  sides  of  the  Jordan  given  by 
God  to  the  Hebrews  for  an  inheritance.  Later, 
however,  the  term  was  often  restricted  to  the 
territory  occupied  by  the  ten  tribes.  It  is  also 
called  "The  Land  of  Judah."  This  title  was 
limited  originally  to  the  territory  occupied  by 
the  tribe  of  Judah  ;  but,  after  the  separation  of 
the  ten  tribes,  "  The  Land  of  Judah  "  included 
the  territories  which  belonged  both  to  Judah  and 
Benjamin;  and  the  whole  country,  including 
that  beyond  Jordan,  retained  this  name  even 
under  the  dominion  of  the  Romans. 

"The  Holy  Land"  is  a  name  which  seems  to 
have  been  used  by  the  Hebrews  during  and 
after  their  captivity  in  Babylon.  This  name, 
'•''Terra  Sancta^^''  or  "Holy  Land,"  was  the  most 
common  one  throughout  the  Middle  Ages.  The 
name  "  Palestine,"  or  the  land  of  the  immigrant, 
was  originally  synonymous  with  Philistia ;  but 
later  the  term  wps  applied  to  the  whole  land 
of  the  Israelites.  The  Philistines  probably  came 
from  Caphtor — wdiich  is  variously  understood  to 
mean  Crete,  Egypt,  Cyprus,  or  Cappadocia — and 
expelled  the  aboriginal  inhabitants,  and  then 
settled  on  the  shores  of  the  IVIediterranean.  The 
population  increased  30  that  probably  it  was  not 
less  than  five  million  in  the  most  prosperous 
times  in  the  history  of  Israel ;  the  population 
of  Syria  is  now  es+imated  to  be  two  million 
seven  hundred  and  fift)'  thousand. 

Canaan  was  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  IMedi- 
terranean  Sea,  on  the  north  by  the  high  ranges 


THE    LAND   OF   THE    BOOK 


n   es,  and  Us  ayerap  width  from  forty  to  If x-  v 

Slot  J'  ctir  s-r  ^„rl:[r 

of  Ihe  EasV-^°"  "'^^■^'^«='"^  western  edS 
from  Mesopotamia  and  Arabia      TfH^/^ 

it  was  tne  arena  on  wlii^i,  ^^  -^"lupc, 

hostile  powerr?ou"l,r  tlfeirLHr'^'^J  'S^^ 
tended  for  tl,e  contVoS  o  '  v  ^t  empfres'^ 
.n  the  center  of  the  great  cot,ntri"'^^nntiJ„it7 

^onVrrn'atT::,  thTc  .^.^as't     '",  -'  ^^ 
compared  to  Ihe  St^'Xw  Hamps  S"""^' 

and  valle"  •  s   :,«'::'"  k"''  P'^'"''  "-^'' 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


Esdraelon,  and  of  Jericho  are  associated  with  his- 
toric events  of  the  greatest  importance.  These 
and  some  other  plains,  together  with  some  gen- 
eral featnres  of  the  country,  are  worthy  of  "adi- 
tional  comment.  The  plain  of  Lebanon  is  the 
valley  enclosed  between  the  mountain  ranges  of 
Lebanon  and  Anti-Lebanon.  Strictly  speaking, 
this  plain  does  not  belong  to  Palestine  proper, 
although  the  greater  part  of  it  was  included  in 
the  extensive  dominion  of  Solomon.  It  is  a 
plain  of  about  ninety  miles  long  from  north  to 
south,  and  from  ten  to  twelv^e  miles  in  width, 
widening  at  the  northern,  and  narrowing  at  the 
southern  eiid.  There  is  probably  no  plain  in  Pal- 
estine or  Syria  more  rich  and  beautiful  than  this 
one.  In  it  the  soil  is  good,  and  the  water  is 
abundant ;  but  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  the 
heat  is  very  great.  The  valley  has  been  re- 
nowned in  all  ages  for  its  fertility  and  beauty ; 
but  unfortunately  only  a  small  part  of  it  is  now 
cultivated. 

By  the  plain  of  the  Jordan  we  iinderstand  the 
shores  of  the  lakes  through  which  the  river 
flows,  as  well  as  the  valley  which  the  river 
waters.  In  portions  of  this  plain  the  heat  is 
great  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  fruits  and  trees 
of  more  tropical  climes  than  Palestine  are  here 
found.  If  only  water  were  abundant,  nearly  all 
parts  of  the  valley  would  be  very  fertile;  but 
parts  of  the  plain  are  barren  and  desolate,  the 
great  heat  in  the  absence  of  water  destroying 
rather  than  promoting  vegetation.  The  plain 
of  Jericho  is  a  broader  opening  in  the  plain  of 


THE   LAND  OF  THE   BOOK 


the  Jordan  near  tlie  Dead  Sea.  This  plain  in- 
eludes  the  plain  of  Moab  on  the  east  as  well 
as  that  of  Jericho  on  the  west  side  of  the  Tor- 
dan.  The  fertility  of  this  plain,  wherever  water 
abounds  therein,  h,as  lonjr  been  celebrated.  To- 
sephus  spoke  of  it  as  a  -divine  region."  His 
description  of  its  beautiful  gardens,  and  its 
groves  of  palm  trees,  is  corroborated  by  the  ref- 
erences  to  it  in  various  parts  of  the  Bible.     Ter- 

Trees.'  These  earlier  features  of  this  valley 
have  a  together  disappeared;  for  long  periods 
one  solitary  palm  tree  lingered.  The  soices 
which  in  the  early  day  gave  great  value  to  this 
neighborhood  are  now  almost  wholly  unknown. 
Of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon  I  shall  speak  at 
ength  It  IS  sufficient,  however,  at  this  point 
to  say  that  It  is  the  great  battlefield  of  the  na- 
tions.     It  IS  known  as  the  valley  of   Aleo-iddo 

k"theVr  '  rPl'^  "^  l'''''^  '  ""^  Josephus'^calls 
•  .?^?  ^\^''''  ^^'  '^^^  ^'^^  been  moistened 
with  the  blood  of  nearly  all  the  nations  under 
heaven.  So  important  a  feature  is  it  in  any  his- 
torical   or   topographical    account   of   Palestine 

Thl  ll  •  "^^  F.y^  VP  ^  "^^'^P^^'  ^°  '^^  description. 
The  plain  of  the  Coast,  or  the  Maritime  Pliin,  is 
a  tract  of  land  extending  along  the  shores  of  the 
Mediterranean  and  reaching  to  the  mountains. 
Occasional  promontories  push  out  into  the  sea- 
but  speaking  generally,  the  coast  may  be  de- 
scribed as  an  extensive  plain.  The  portion  be- 
tween Mount  Carmel  and  Joppa  is  often  called 
the  valley  of  Sharon ;  and  the  portion  extend- 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


ing  from  Joppa  to  Gaza  is  sonietiiiie.i  known 
simply  as  the  Plain,  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
hill-country  of  Judah. 

The  face  of  Palestine  possesses  marked  fea- 
tures. It  has  often  been  described  by  saying  that 
four  belts  run  from  north  to  south.  'J'he  first  of 
these  is  the  Maritime  Plain,  on  the  seacoast ;  the 
second  is  the  central  belt  of  mountains ;  the 
third  is  the  broad  valley  of  the  Jordan ;  and  the 
fourth  is  the  table-land  east  of  the  Jordan.  The 
chief  rivers  are  the  Jordan,  the  Leontes,  the 
Arnon,  the  Sihor,  the  Jabbok,  and  the  Kishon. 

The  most  remarkable  feature  of  the  country 
is  the  Jordan  and  its  valley.  It  extends  from 
the  north  to  the  south,  dividing  the  country 
into  two  parts.  This  valley  is  really  a  deep 
chasm,  being  everywhere  below  the  level  of  the 
sea.  It  produces  a  marked  effect  upon  the  re- 
gions which  border  it,  and  also  upon  the  cli- 
matic conditions  of  the  country.  This  chasm 
gives  the  appearance  at  times  of  rugged  gran- 
deur, and  at  other  times  of  extreme  desolation,  to 
the  receding  or  abrupt  shores  of  the  valley. 
The  valley  is  about  ten  miles  wide  from  brow  to 
brow,  increasing  its  width  at  the  Sea  of  Galilee 
and  the  Dead  Sea.  No  one  can  study  the 
topography  of  Palestine  without  giving  atten- 
tion to  the  striking  peculiarities  of  the  Jordan 
Valley.  There  is,  perhaps,  no  country  in  which 
there  is  so  marked  a  feature  as  this  deep  valley. 
The  Jordan  is  the  only  important  river  of  the 
country.  Lnter  in  this  volume,  its  rise  on  the 
western   slopes  of  ]\Iount    Hermon,  its  various 


THE   LAND  OF  THE   BOOK  7 

features,  its   passage  tliroufrliLakc   H.iwTTts 

ri!r"','°',''""'.P'''-"-^'''«'=  "'™"K'''  tl"-'  Sea  of  r.al- 
ilee  and  tlien  its  sinuous  course  until  it  finallv 

thousand  three  huiidrcl  feet  below  tic  llcdilcr- 
raneaii,  are  fully  described.  -"cciuti 

The  other  rix-ors  for  the  most  part  flow  for 
only  a  part  of  the  year.     The  Ki.shon   is  tl  a 
"ancient  river"  by  whose  rapid  waters  the  lio.sl 
of  Sisera  were  carried  away.     It  is  in  constant 
floxydnnun-  only  a  few  miles  iu  the   latt.-  par 
o    Its  course.     The  Jabbok,  meaning.  "pouJing 
out,    IS  a  perennial  stream  which  intersects  the 
.nountam-range  of  Gilead,  and  which  flows  into 
tlie  Jordan   about  midway  between  the  sea  of 
Gallic,  and  the  Dead  Sea.     The  eastern  branch 
ot  this  stream  is  dry  iu  the  summer.    The  Sihor 
ZfT^ yr\''"^^'^"  '«  ••>  -'■■>'-  torrait  now 

IS  the  Hebrew  proper  name  for  the  Nile  ind 
doubtlcs  It  does  sometimes  mean  the  Nile  It 
flows  northwest  into  the  Mediterranean,  about 
forty-five  miles  southwest  of  Gaza.     The  Arnoii 

ot  the  Dead  Sea  into  which   it  empties.     It  is 

v7jT'l  "^''^y  el-Modjeb."  Aneientlv  it  di- 
V  ded  the  territory  of  the  Moabites  from  ihat  of 
«.e  Amontes,  and  later  that  of  Moab  from  the 
Reubenites.  It  flows  in  the  wild  ravine  bcarW 
e  same^  name.  In  the  bottom  of  this  raviii? 
the  heat  in  summer  is  very  great  and  the  river 
flows  then  in  but  a  small  stream;  but  during  the 
rainy  season  it  is  an  impetuous   torrent      T  le 


8 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


(; 


ancient  river  Lcontes,  the  modern  Litany,  drains 
tile  valley  of  Ccclc-Syria ;  it  runs  southwest  in  a 
strai<i^lit  line  parallel  to  the  coast,  and  falls  into 
the  Mediterranean  five  miles  above  Tyre.  High 
up  in  Lebanon  there  are  other  streams  of  classic 
celebrity  which  rush  through  deep  glens,  "  to 
stain  with  their  ruddy  waters  the  transparent 
bosom  of  the  Mediterranean."  There  are  rivers 
of  l)iblical  fame  not  mentioned  in  this  list,  but 
it  is  sufficiently  complete  in  an  outline  statement 
of  the  characteristics  of  Palestine. 

The  lakes  or  seas  are  the  Dead  Sea,  the  Sea  of 
Galilee,  and  Lake  Merom.  In  the  text  of  this 
volume  full  descriptions  of  these  seas  are  given, 
so  far  as  the  facts  can  be  learned  by  the  most 
recent  investigations.  They  are  worthy  of  care- 
ful study  in  an  examination  of  the  topography 
of  the  Holy  Land. 

At  the  northern  boundary  are  the  lofty  peaks 
of  Lebanon  and  Hermon.  Lebanon  succeeds  the 
high  table-land  of  Galilee.  It  rises  in  a  region 
whose  height  is  shown  by  its  gradual  slope  on  all 
sides  but  the  north  ;  on  the  east  it  slopes  toward 
the  Jordan,  on  the  west  to  the  plain  of  Acre,  and 
on  the  south  to  the  plain  of  Esdraelon.  The 
name  Lebanon  signifies  "  white " ;  the  name 
came  either  from  the  snow  which  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  year  covers  its  summit,  or 
from  the  white  color  of  its  limestone  cliffs.  Its 
name  makes  it  the  "  Mont  Blanc  "  of  Palestine. 
Of  IMount  Hermon  there  will  be  occasion  to 
speak  frequently  in  the  course  of  these  lectures ; 
but  here  it  will  be  permitted  to  say  a  few  words. 


THE   LAND  OF  TIIK    BOOK 


The  word  probably  means  "pro,„i„c„T,  lof^ 

peaks  for,,,  a  tria,„,le  .ucl^it'T'Lu"  tf- 

it  as  en,  h   ,'s  K         f '■  '"°''  ^"f^""" '«  f'-""  "P"» 
fiv^  H,     ■      ,  ^°^e"i''cr,  until  finally  it  extends 

Novciiiher      Ti,^       •    '^  October  or  early 

weT^nd  -so-,,]^  ^e^r'^nrf"-^  ."ostly  fron,  tl,l 
nio-lit  'T,  „  "•'"  '^'  '^"fl  *!ill  especa  y  in  the 
M?    ;f  V^^'  °  ""  "^  '•'bundant  in  the  latter 


lO 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   l,KCTUKES 


I; 


storms  arc  known  in  Jcrnsalcni,  and  snow  falls 
more  or  less  in  many  other  parts  of  the  land. 
The  heat  in  snmnier  is  of  conrse  oppressive  in 
the  low-lyiii}^  valleys  ;  but  the  nij;hts  are  gener- 
ally cool,  and  the  dew  is  always  very  heavy. 
The  absence  of  rain  in  smnnier  soon  parches  the 
verdnre  of  the  fields,  so  that  in  antnnin  the 
whole  country  is  dry,  and  streams  and  cisterns 
arc  often  empty.  The  climate  is  considered 
healthful,  and  the  people  are  long-lived.  Were 
it  not  for  the  fact  that  the  people  are  poorly  fed, 
and  that  many  of  them  are  most  uncleanly  in 
their  habits,  fevers  and  all  kinds  of  sickness 
would  be  rare.  If  sanitary  conditions  were 
properly  observed  in  Jerusalem,  that  city,  be- 
cause of  its  elevation,  cloudless  skies,  and  invig- 
orating air,  would  be  a  remarkably  healthful 
place ;  and,  but  for  these  favorable  conditions, 
the  filthy  habits  of  the  people  would  generate 
diseases  which  would  be  extremely  destructive. 

Although  the  country  is  so  small,  it  has  vari- 
eties of  climate,  of  production,  and  of  fauna  and 
flora,  characteristic  of  many  other  countries  of 
much  greater  size.  Lying  as  it  does  between 
great  empires,  it  always  has  been  the  highway 
for  the  nations  of  the  earth.  These  facts  give  it 
special  interest  to  us  as  the  birthplace  of  the 
Bible,  intended  to  be  the  book  of  all  climes  and 
centuries.  There  are  in  the  Bible  evidences  of 
the  great  varieties  of  climate  and  production 
characteristic  of  this  remarkable  country,  and 
conducive  to  the  value  of  the  Bible  as  a  uni- 
versal book.     There  is  not  space  here  to  enlarge 


THK    LAND   OF  TIFK    noOK 


rcRardinp  these  .natters  a  rc-isi'ri"'"™ 
importance  If  i,:  lilar'^lllJirr^I'lt;,'^!- 

.he^^^Ht:^  ■:  >,;;:^;^  ^:;rr  ■"-?  «'^'' 

wliich  it  lies      It  l,.wi'      ""*'    ^--fy""  between 
land  can  be  seen''}:;.  ^^  ..^ir  ,/  ?,'  Zr'''' 

take  in  at  a  e  anee  Ih, N  ,?''  ""'  ""•'  '^^  ^•->" 
of  Galilee  ami    ,e  ,C'^a  -k  '''"T/"-"-'''  ,"'^^^■" 

Dean  St^^al  :e' StLtT'  ^"  ^^^""^-- 

Above  all  other  countries  in  the  woilrl   ;.  ;  ,      , 

nnns.  In  J„dea  it  is  hird  v  .n  „  '  """^  '"^  ^''»"^'  "^ 
while  for  miles  and  n  le  t£e  "  ^'^^'''''^'^  ^"  ^'-^y  th.U. 
life  or  habitation  excenV  hi  ""  •'PP'^'"-''"^e  of  present 
hillside,  or  the  ^athS  o  '  Z''^'"?',  ^°*''^'^^^^  °"  ^''^ 
hnrdlya  hilhop  of  the  nrmv  h  1,  'I ''^',  "•""^'  '^^'^  '« 
ered  with  the  vestiges  of  .n  r  "'^'^^  "'^^"^'^  '^  ""t  ^^"v- 
ases.  The  ruins  e'now  see  "'  0^^"  ^"  ^'!^'  "^  ^-"'^^ 
Saracenic.   C>usaclinK^    Roman    rw'n  "r^^^/!'^'^'"^  ''•.cs  : 

-t  are   the   Mo.a,„^::^a„?'\^:rr;r::f 


12 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


^ 


official  Turks,  and  of  a  mixture  of  the  Arab, 
(ireek,  \ssyrian,  and  other  races.  The  native 
Christians  are  mostly  descendants  of  the  early 
Syrian  Christians.  Great  changes  have  taken 
place  as  to  population  and  industries  during  the 
last  few  years.  Now,  many  thousand  Jews  from 
Spain,  Poland,  and  Germany,  have  homes  in 
various  parts  of  the  lands  of  their  fathers.  It 
would  not  be  surprising  if  in  a  few  years  the 
Turkish  power  in  Palestine  were  bioken,  and  the 
land  were  completely  divided,  parts  falling  to 
Russia,  Germany,  France,  and  Great  Britain.  It 
has  long  been  the  dream  of  many  nations  that 
one  of  their  number  shall  yet  1)e  crowned  in  the 
city  of  David.  Those  who  hold  that  Queen 
Victoria  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  King  David, 
naturally  look  forward  to  the  British  realization 
of  this  dream.  At  all  events,  it  is  certain  that 
great  changes  must  come  to  this  ancient  land 
before  many  years  shall  pass.  If  the  misgovern- 
ment  of  ''  the  unspeakable  Turk  "  should  cease, 
and  the  country  should  come  under  the  wise  rule 
of  an  intelligent  European  and  Christian  power, 
the  country  would  again  be  "  a  land  flowing  with 
milk  and  honey."  In  these  conditions  it  would 
be  literally  true  that,  "  Instead  of  the  thorn  shall 
come  r.p  the  fir  tree,  and  instead  of  the  brier 
shall  come  up  the  myrtle  tree  :  and  it  shall  be  to 
the  Lord  for  a  name,  for  an  everlasting  sign  that 
shall  not  be  cut  off." 


II 


JOPPA — "  BEAUTY  " 

VJUn  sailed   from   Alexandria   to   Joppa,  or 
yV      Jaffa -Arabic,   Yafa ;    Hebrew,   Japho. 

m  H-T^™'  r«^'''^«I   'I'e  trip  was'  one  o 
marked  discomfort.     The  Austrian-Llovd  steam- 
ers 7uZ      r'7-'^'^~  ^.  ""^  ^K'P'i""  ^t«»"- 
ers    on  one  of  wlucl,  this  journey  was  made. 

Jaffa  seems  extremely  beautiful  as  one  ai> 
proaclies  it  by  sea.  Gazing  upon  this  city  rising 
from  the  sea,  the  traveler  experiences  straiio-| 
emotions.  As  a  rule,  tliis  is  the  first  point  of  the 
Holy  Land  on  which  his  eve  rests  Can  it  C 
possible  that  he  is  looking  upon  a%an"of'  ha 
land  which  IS  sacred  above  all  the  lands  of  the 
earth  :  the  land  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  lacob^ 
the  land  of  Rachel  and  Ruth     tl,e  knd  of  Caleb 

t.?.,-'°?"^,  ''"^  '■''"^'  °f  ^'''■'"^  «>"'  Solomon 
he  land  of  the  evangelists  and  the  apostles ;  the 
.and  of  Je.sns  Christ,  son  of  Mary  and  Son  of  Go  P 
Wonderful  memories,  tender  associations,  and 
glowing  hopes,  fill  the  soul  with  the  first  siMit  of 
this  historic  shore.  Away  yonder,  among  the 
hills,  the  prophets  of  Israel  taught,  and  the  Sav- 
our  of  men  hved  and  died;  and  in  and  about 

r,  thcf  °/  ^^^"-^^^^'-'/^^  lesends  and  biblical 
truths  cluster.     Out  of  this  often  stormy  road- 
's 


\, 


■J 


i    i 

I' 

li     ' 

If 

F 


14 


SUNDAY    NIGHT   LECTURES 


stead  Jonah  sailed  on  his  tempestuous  and  ini- 
niortal  voyage.  The  harbor  of  Jaffa  is  shoal  and 
unprotected  from  the  winds,  although  it  is  one 
of  the  chief  seaports  of  the  Holy  Land.  It  was 
the  only  port  of  the  Israelites  until  Herod  formed 
the  harbor  at  Ccesarea ;  thus  it  was  here,  as  will 
be  seen  later,  that  the  timber  from  Lebanon  for 
the  first  and  second  temples  was  landed. 

Jaffa  is  on  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea 
about  thirty  miles  south  of  Coesarea  and  nearly 
forty  miles  northwest  of  Jerusalem.  It  was  and 
still  is  one  of  the  chief  landing-places  of  pilgrims 
from  all  parts  of  the  world,  h<d  it  is  and  always 
has  been  naturally  unfit  for  a  iiarbor.  Josephus 
speaks  of  it  in  this  respect  in  language  similar 
to  that  which  we  must  still  employ.  There  is 
really  no  harbor,  and  the  coast  is  dangerous. 
When  the  sea  is  rough,  pilgrims  and  tourists  are 
obliged  to  go  to  Haifa,  or  to  Beirut.  The  surf 
rolls  in  with  such  violence  at  times  that  deaths 
by  drowning  are  not  uncommon.  As  late  as 
1842,  a  lieutenant  and  some  sailors  were  lost 
while  trying  to  land  from  an  English  steamer. 
The  boat  which  comes  now  to  receive  travelers, 
seems  at  times  as  if  it  were  to  dive  i.oder  the 
ship,  and  at  other  times  as  if  it  would  i.-c  tlirown 
thereon.  The  boatmen  of  Jaffa  are  anica':  the 
bravest  and  most  skillful  of  their  class  Li  the 
world.  The  present  town  is  situated  on  a  prom- 
ontory one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high.  On 
all  sides  it  offers  varied  and  most  picturesque 
prospects.  On  the  west  lies  the  open  sea  ;  toward 
the  south   are   the  fertile   plains  of   Philistia ; 


JOPPA — "  BEAUTY  " 


15 

toward  tlie  north.^^TTiir^rc^e^^rthe 
flowery  meadows  of  Sharon  ;  and  to  tl,;  east  the 

dltflf  5  i'^  "  """'i''^  P°''  °f  Jerusalem  in  the 
days  of  Solomon,  and  to  a  considerable  degree  it 
has  renianied  so  ever  since 

the^word  v^f   ^'^^^i<^='l  J''"'^"-     Some  affirm  that 

the  word  Yafa  means  beauty,  but  its  etymoloev 

IS  yanously  explained.     The  origin  of  th"name 

s  involved  „,  nn.ch  doubt.      Some  suppose  tto 

s  Jnf, '™'"  J'^P'''^''  "'^  ^°"  of  Noah,  and  it 
sc  aimed  by  some  geographers  that  a  city  ex- 
sted  here  before  the  flood  ;  but  others  affirm  tS 
the   name   comes   from   lopa,   the   daughter  of 
;EoIus,  and  w  fe  of  CepheusfAndromedaf father 
Those  who  give  this  derivation  make  Jaffa    he 
scene   of  the  legend  of  Andromeda,   who  wal 
botmd  to  the  rocks  in  order  that  sh^  might  be 
devoured  by  the  sea  monster,  but  was  delivered 
by  Perseus,  who  slew  the  monster.     Th»  fact 
tliat  It  was  a  prominent  seaport,  gave  it  a  class! 

Tl"tr"pf  '  ''""^'  '"^'''>'-     On'the  silri'f 
jalta   the   Phcemcian   manners  dwelt.      Before 
Rome  or  Athens  had  a  history,  these  hardy  sea! 
men   sent   their  ships   over  tl.e   "Great   Sea^' 
1  hey  seem  to  have  introduced  science  and  ci%-iii- 
za hon  nito  the  western  world.     It  is  said  that  in 
Phny's  time  the  chains  were  shown  with  whic 
It   was   clanned  Andron.eda   had   been   bound 
Throughout  the  Roman  period,  and  down  to  the 

rocks  of  the  harbor  where  she  had  been  exposed 
and  the  chains  and  iron  rings  were  preserved  as 


u 

•.1 

il 


J' ' 


I. 


I 


'« *, 


if 


i6 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


mementos  of  the  myth.  The  bones  of  some 
mariie  monster  were  taken  to  Rome  and  long 
exhibited  as  an  object  of  curiosity.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  in  the  legend  Perseus  is  repre- 
sented as  having  plunged  his  dagger  into  the 
right  shoulder  of  the  monster.  Perhaps  the  real 
monster  was  the  stormy  coast,  which  had  swal- 
lowed up  so  many  men  and  women  during  all 
the  years  that  Jaffa  was  a  seaport ;  and  perhaps 
the  slaying  of  the  monster  was  the  improvement 
of  the  harbor,  the  roar  of  whose  waves  as  they 
dashed  on  the  rocks  was  as  loud  as  the  barking 
of  Scylla  or  Charybdis.  The  chains  and  rings 
shown  were,  perliaps,  those  used  by  the  Romans 
for  mooring  their  vessels  to  the  rocks.  Sir  J.  W. 
Dawson,  in  his  volume  entitled,  "  Egypt  and 
Syria,"  tells  us  that  "the  rock  on  which  Jaffa 
stands,  and  which  extends  under  the  whole  of 
the  Maritime  Plain,  is  a  soft  sandstone,"  which 
"shelters  it  and  gives  it  such  apology  for  harbor 
as  it  possesses." 

There  is  also  a  biblical  Jaffa,  or  Joppa,  as  it  is 
called  in  the  Scripture  narrative.  We  know 
that  it  became  the  port  of  Jerusalem  when  Jeru- 
salem became  the  metropolis  of  the  kingdom. 
This  place  thus  occupies  a  large  space  in  the 
Bible.  In  Joshua  (19  :  46)  it  is  called  Japho, 
and  is  there  described  as  in  the  boundaries  of 
Dan.  When  we  come  to  the  time  of  Solomon, 
we  have  Hiram,  king  of  Tyre,  saying  in  his  con- 
tract :  "  My  servants  shall  bring  them  down  from 
Lebanon  imto  the  sea ;  and  I  will  convey  them 
by  sea  in  floats  unto  the  place  that  thou  shalt 


JOPPA—"  BEAUTY  "  j^ 

materials  were  broT,4' 'S  ?!*!"''''  ''"r°  "'*^' 
mission  of  Cvnis  for  f  I  *™",  Lebanon,  by  per- 

temple  unde'r  ZerSeP  "  W,'"^  °'  "'"^■™-' 
thetiineof  loiml,    :.„       \,  ^^"'''  ^^'^  '^O'ne  to 

from  the°pS'e  :;  ht  trd'v  ""r",  "'^^'""^ 
Joppa  and  fo„r.d  a  sh  p  ^oinl^  nV  ,  ■ '  ""'"  "^ 
liave  in  Matt  12  Z  f°?, '°-  "'''"•'*''•  We 
of  the  histo  yof  jonlhL  r„"r""  '"  ""'  !»" 

of  a  portion  o'f  tliro  ' o'  r  Lo'dT  T",  '''^'''' 
historic  event  is  tnnr»  Ii      ?  Perhaps  no 

Joppa  thanX  fact  tint    rni'  TTf"^  ^"'"' 

portonhisreiLrlnh/-^  "■''-'''  ^'°"'  ""« 

1 ^^i^^remarkable  voyage.    One  still  thinks 


I  Kings  5  :9.    >2Chron. 


:  16. 


'E/ra3:;.     <  Jona.h  , 


tii 


i8 


SUNDAY   NIGHT    LECTURES 


h,^ 


f/i 


I. 


I  '     ; 


'/.i 


lit 


W 


of  him  threading  his  way  through  these  streets 
and  hastening  to  get  on  board  the  ship  which 
was  waiting  in  the  harbor.  In  Joppa  the  Apos- 
tle Peter  raised  Dorcas  to  life.'  It  is  certain  that 
at  the  time  when  this  miracle  was  performed  a 
considerable  number  of  Jews  dwelt  in  Joppa,  and 
among  them  were  some  who  had  become  disci- 
ples of  Christ.  Dorcas  was  one  of  these.  It  is 
said  of  her  that  she  was  "  full  of  good  works  and 
almsdeeds  "  ;  but  good  and  noble  as  she  was,  she 
died  and,  as  was  to  be  expected,  she  was  beloved 
and  lamented  by  all.  The  Apostle  Peter  was  at 
Lydda,  where  he  had  just  restored  Eneas  to 
health.^  Thither  messengers  were  sent  beseech- 
ing him  to  come  to  the  he^p  of  those  in  Joppa 
who  sorrowed  over  the  death  of  Dorcas.  One 
may  well  turn  to  this  account  and  read  it  as  he 
visits  the  reputed  places  in  this  historic  town. 
While  the  Apostle  Peter  was  in  Joppa,  he  lodged 
at  the  house  of  one  Simon,  the  tanner.^  This 
house  is  still  shown.  On  the  afternoon  of  my 
first  day  in  Joppa  I  hastened  to  visit  the  house 
and  to  climb  to  its  roof.  It  is  now  a  sort  of 
IMohammedan  mosque.  From  its  flat  roof  I 
gazed  out  on  the  sea  and  sky.  These  two  ele- 
ments of  the  view  at  least  are  the  same  as  when 
the  Apostle  Peter  gazed  uj^on  them  from  this  or 
some  other  house  in  Joppa.  This  house  will  be 
forever  memorable  as  the  place  where,  in  the 
wonderful  vision,  which  has  been  called  "  vision 
of  tolerance,"  the  apostle  learned  that  he  was  not 


*  Acts  9  :  36-43.         *  Acts  9  :  32,  33.  ^  ^^ts  9  :  43. 


JOPPA—"  BEAUTY  "  jQ 

seems  to  .l,i„k  that  tl.is  may  t  tlfe  v  n  & 

Tonn.  hl'f  "'^  ?  "'^"''"^  J"??'-*-     The  h.istorv  of 
seq^ue,U  to   lfr'°"'- ".''''^  ^'''"^'>^"  ■=■•-  --1  ^^'b- 

TeHoTb  uvee";;;"',:;' :f jL'"'^^i«"s- '" "- 

birfh  nf  PI    •  ".,       ^^•^'^  °^  ^"e  prophets  and  the 
by  Jonathaulla^^aL;  ,"c  Cr^'  1^  .^et  pS'""" 

he  ittn^l-„,i  ',''/*'"  and  terrible  reventfe  when 

district,  and  as  snchit  td'a^'g  ea   ^harTTn  all 
the  wars  wao-ed   qo-oi'n^f    PoI    .•  .     ^  ^^^ 

joppa  in  that  province;    finally,   after  having 

'  Acts  lo  :  9-23. 


20 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


i.' ' 


■ 


been  in  the  possession  of  Herod  the  Great  and 
Archelaus,  it  became  a  part  of  the  world-embrac- 
ing Roman  Empire.  Josephus  tells  us  that  in 
the  last  Jewish  war  eighty  thousand  of  its  inhab- 
itants were  slain  by  Cestius.  Vespasian  destroyed 
the  town,  which  had  been  rebuilt  and  occupied 
by  pirates,  who  ravaged  the  coast.  In  Strabo's 
time  it  was  notorious  as  a  den  of  robbers.  Dur- 
ing the  early  period  of  the  Christian  era  Joppa 
became  the  seat  of  a  bishop;  in  the  time  of  the 
crusades  heathen  and  Christian  took  and  retook 
Joppa  many  times.  It  was  in  the  possession  of 
the  forces  of  Ciodirey  of  Bouillon  previously  to 
the  capture  of  Jerusalem.  Tlie  place  was  largely 
deserted,  and  soor.  fell  practically  into  ruin,  as 
the  crusaders  cared  but  little  for  the  town,  as  a 
whole,  limiting  themselves  to  the  citadel.  For 
long  years  it  remained  in  almost  utter  decay, 
there  being  no  habitable  house  in  this  once  pros- 
perous city.  It  is  not  possible,  however,  in  the 
limits  of  this  lecture,  to  trace  its  history  with 
fullness  of  detail.  Finally  it  came  into  the  pos- 
session of  the  Turks ;  since  which  time  it  has 
been  three  times  sacked, — by  the  Arabs  in  1722, 
by  the  Mamelukes  in  1775,  and  by  Napoleon  in 
1799.  "The  massacre  of  Jaffa"  leaves  an  indel- 
ible stain  on  the  career  of  Napoleon.  Four  thou- 
sand Albanians  surrendered  on  the  promise  of 
protection,  but  with  their  hands  tied  behind  them 
they  were  marched  out  and  shot.  A  part  of  the 
present  Armenian  convent  is  shown  as  the  place 
where  Napoleon  is  said  to  have  poisoned  five 
hundred  sick  soldiers  in  the  plague  hospital. 


JOPPA — "  BEAUTY  " 


21 

Tlie  Joppa  of  to-day  is  also  a'^,^^;^^,^;;^^. 
mg  place  As  already  stated,  tlit  town  rises  4. 
ruptly  a„d  beautifnily  fro,„  the  sea,  but  a  closer 
exa„n„at,o„  shows  that  it  is  crowded  i,  to  a  iTt' 
e  space  as  possible.  On  entering  it  one  fi,  1, 
that  the  streets,  like  those  of  most  OHenta  to  v 
are  .nconveniently  narrow  and  exccx.Iingly  fi)  1  y' 
Xlicy  are  crowded  with  camels,  don kets  horses 

the  ^Sir"l"'T  ""■'  "r  '^■^•'  *->'V  thT, 

desen  o    dnsf    "  ', "'  "■''''"'^''  ""^  streets  are  a 

of  n  d      T  ■  I'  f     '  '"  "*■"'  Tf ""'^^  "'^>-  "f^  ^^'->-^ 

east  and  nk         ?,'  ™"  T'"«'  °"  ""=-^""">  '->■«! 
f.?,ii  T       ,     °"  ""^  "°''"'  •''"'1  "est,  but  these 

Been  sold  by  the  governn.ent  for  varions  bnild- 
!•  gs.  Away  from  the  shore  the  environs  are  fnll 
of  gardens  of  nu.ch  beantyand  frnitfnlness  ^ 
population  ,s  probably  abo-,t  twcnty-five  thou 
sand  and  ,t  .s  constantly  inc.  easing.  ^  Tlfere  are 
several  thou.sand  Christians,  also  a7ew  Tews  and 
he  rest  of  the  population 'are  Mohammeda™^ 
Joppa  contanis  three  convents,  Utin,  Greek  ami 

t\ZT"'r^  '"'"'-  "-q"^'^a"<l  bakaars     't  e 
chief  manufacture  of  the  town  is  soap,  not  niu'h 
?f  which,  however,  would  seem  to  be  used  w  th 
in  Its  ovvn  limits.     The  orange  groves  are  exte" 
sive  and   excellent.     On  some  \rces     I  ere   are 

considered  the  finest  in  all   Palestine  and  Sxria 

mornw'""''  w?"  "'"'"  ^^"'^"■'*'  ^^P^-'^i^''^  .^i    be 
Mnu '"*^   r'  "'"^'^"'"ff.  fills  all  the  atmo.sphere 
Millions  of  oranges  are  annually  exported  from 
Joppa  to  London  and  to  other  markets'^     Lemon" 


r 
\\. 
If 


22 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   I.KCTURKS 


..' 


i!'> 


i 


pomegranates,  and  watermelons  abonnd.  Tlie 
gardens  and  orchards  are  admirably  protected,  as 
are  many  villages  in  Palestine,  by  hedges  of  the 
prickly  cactns. 

The  school,  nnder  the  direction  of  Miss  Arnott, 
and  the  hospital  for  natives,  nnder  the  care  of 
Miss  Newton,  are  institntions  worthy  of  a  visit 
and  of  generous  support  by  all  visitors.  In  1866, 
outside  the  Jaffa  gate,  an  American  colony  was 
organized ;  it  was  made  up  of  Americans  from 
Maine,  New  Hampshire,  and  other  parts  of  New 
England.  It  was  under  the  direction  of  a  second 
adventist  named  Adams  ;  but  it  is  understood  that 
he  fell  from  grace  ;  and  when  the  "  Quaker  City  " 
visited  Jaffa  it  took  many  of  the  colonists  to 
Egypt,  whence  many  finally  came  back  to  Amer- 
ica, having  been  assisted  by  their  American 
friends.  There  are  houses  still  standing  in  this 
part  of  Jaffa  which  were  taken  from  different 
parts  of  New  England,  all  ready  to  be  erected 
when  they  should  reach  their  destination.  The 
ruins  still  remain  of  the  New  England  meeting- 
house erected  by  these  colonists,  and  it,  as  well  as 
the  little  homes,  bear  the  marks  in  their  clapboards 
and  blinds  of  New  England  taste  and  handicraft. 
A  few  of  the  colonists  remained,  marrying  differ- 
ent nationalities,  and  they  brought  up  their  fam- 
ilies in  this  far-off  land  with  many  New  England 
peculiarities  of  speech  and  methods  of  living. 
The  foreign  colony  is  now  largely  German,  there 
being  perhaps  a  hundred  Cierman  families  in  the 
part  of  the  town  once  occupied  by  the  Americans. 
They  are  known  as  the  "Friends  of  Jerusalem." 


JOPPA — "  BKAUTY  " 


») 


23 


There  arc  colonists  liokliiicr  similar  views  in 
o  her  parts  o  Palestine.  Owing  to  its  locatio," 
Jaffa  IS  the  home  of  fugitives  and  vagabonds 
from  many  countries. 

One  is  deep])'  impressed,  as  he  wanders  throu-h 
the  streets  of  Jaffa,  with  its  varied  historic  mem- 
ories, Its  present  peculiarities,  and  its  great  pos- 
sibihties.     He  can  but  remember  that  near  IhJs 
sea  vva  1  nuiny  mighty  men  have  landed,  from  the 
Clays  of  Solomon  to  the  beginning  of  the  Chris- 
tian era,  from  the  time  of  Tiglath-Pileser  to  Rich- 
ard Ccxur  de   IJon.     Here  the  pilgrim   to   the 
Holy  J  and   generally  first   touches   that  sacred 
soil.     Unattractive  as  are  the  streets  of  Jaffa,  the 
tourist  begins  to  feel  the  strange  chann  of  Ori- 
ental  associations  and  especially  of  biblical  memo- 
nes.     He  knows  that  soon  he  will  be  able  to  say  : 

I  tread  in  the  paths  where  the  patriarchs  trod  • 
1  visit  the  haunts  of  the  prophets  of  (^od  ; 
Ihe  foot  of  my  Saviour  hath  hallowed  this  sod 


t 


'•!  / . 


Ill 


"going  up  to  jkrusalkm  " 

THICRE  is  now  a  railway  from  Jaffa  to  Jcni- 
salein.  Some  tourists,  however,  prefer  to 
^o  by  carriage  or  on  horseback.  Either  of  these 
latter  methods  gives  travelers  a  better  opportu- 
nity to  see  the  country  as  a  whole,  and  to  study 
any  particular  locality  in  which  they  are  spe- 
cially interested.  Some  go  only  as  far  as  Ram- 
leh  during  the  first  day,  anr'  omplete  the  jour- 
ney on  the  second  day.  (  ^,  hy  carriage  or 
on  horseback  the  road  from  Jaffa  leads  through 
gardens  of  oranges,  lemons,  and  pomegranates. 
Soon  the  traveler  comes  to  the  so-called  tomb  of 
Dorcas,  or  at  least  to  the  place  reputed  to  be  that 
where  she  was  raised  to  life ;  later,  after  leaving 
the  gardens,  the  plain  of  Sharon  is  entered. 
Tliis  plain  reaches  from  Jaffa  to  Caesarea,  and 
from  the  central  hills  to  the  Mediterranean.  It 
has  long  been  celel)rated  for  its  fruitfulness,  and 
for  its  varied  forms  of  beauty.  It  has  a  large 
])lace  both  in  song  and  story,  as  well  as  in  the 
figurative  allusions  contained  in  the  Bible.  It 
still  produces  grass  and  flowers  in  great  abun- 
dance and  variety  ;  if  properly  cultivated,  it  would 
be  one  of  the  gardens  of  the  world.  This  re- 
mark will  apply,  in  part  at  least,  to  many  other 
24 


II- 
to 
se 

[1- 

!y 

e- 
1- 
r- 

T 
ll 
i. 

f 


^^O'""   '"P  TO  JRRtTSAr.TiM  "  ^^ 

I)ortioii.s  of  I'alfstiiK.      •!•!.:       1  ■     .       

thousan.lsof  vefrs    ,;.         ;  '!''■""  ^""^  ''^'^"  f'"" 
Jaffa  to  IcHH-  iJm  f     ^'''f  ""'■•"••«Ware  fr.m. 

rf  one  wil/l,,}-..,,;,;  f^'    ,  X    nll'ltt V"'1-^'-'- 
represents  in  this  rmr,  H   t),  "'«' t'l'splani 

will  a^in  live    ef.mf  ,  '  "'>•  5'-'»';«  "f  Hie  past 
ness  ami  power        '  '"•  *"l'g^<-'"'  vivi.l- 

Kon,an  don.inion  if  b;:^,:  |^  ^±,!r'^.  ^  ,,"- 
Zens";  and  by  this  mm,.  inJ    t.      '  '>  "' 

by  Knsebins  and  fero.nl  I  — "  ""^""o"«l 
"i"e  to  ten  miles  eisnr'.ff  "  f"".'!"-'''  f"-"'" 
to  Jernsalen..  ,  wa  o  i'Smilv"  ""^  '"T,'  ^"^" 
"eiijaniites.  It  was  it  H,k  .'  ^^  "T"'"?'"  ''>'  ""-" 
tie  Peter  healed  Fnels      1,?     '  """  "'/  '^P°»- 

healinswe  have  li '  A^'ts'S'  ^T  ^  ■^''''''■'\ 
that   n  the  tinip  ,^f  n.    •    ^  ;  ^^  3,5-     It  is  said 

death  of  jtili  ,sC^^,r  :n''''f  ir""*^'i""-^'  ^^^^  "'^ 
sold  intoih ve ry  The  n  '" '"'"'"'''"'«  "'ere 
tins  OallnsX;.  o ,"  ,  s^^X  nT'  '^'^^^- 
Jernsaleni.     When   he  nnt^.  'i   I?      Ca^sarea  to 

the  people  ^r^lb^Tt^t::^"^  "' 

the  infiiria't^cUewro  '  h    ri'f. ^"'%'.:^^'  '-f  °- 
famous   for  I'K  ^-^r,.    i  ?       - '     ■'^^^^^^  ^t  was 

cluireh  was  orffaiii.ed  he  e  afa  ver        ?"''!''"; 
Ill  the  Christian  en     T„  !.f      ^    "f'^'-P'^"'"' 

era.     in  445  a„  ecclesiastical 


(i  > 


'i 


I 

I 


i  ' 


u 


1 1  ? 


I !, 


,  1 


ji' 


26 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


council  was  held  at  Lyclda,  at  which  Pelagius 
defended  himself.  Soon  after  the  founding  of 
Ramleh,  Lydda  lost  its  importance.  In  1191  it 
was  destroyed  by  Saladin,  but  was  soon  rebuilt, 
only  to  be  sacked  by  the  Mongols  in  1271.  Al- 
though situated  on  the  principal  caravan  road 
between  Egypt  a.id  Syria,  it  has  never  gained  its 
former  importance. 

We  find  frequent  mention  of  Lydda  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  crusades.  It  is  located  in  the  midst 
of  extensive  plains  composed  of  rich  soil,  capable 
of  being  extremely  fruitful.  Its  chief  attraction 
now  is  the  church  of  St.  George,  whose  stately 
ruins  carry  us  back  to  the  Middle  Ages  and  per- 
petuate the  name  of  the  saint  and  martyr  who, 
it  is  claimed,  was  burned  and  buried  here.  There 
is  a  tradition  among  the  Mohammedans  that  on 
the  last  day  Christ  will  slay  Antichrist  at  the 
gate  of  Lydda  ;  but  this  is  supposed  to  be  simply 
a  distorted  version  of  one  of  the  legends  of  St. 
George  and  the  Dragon.  The  English  crusaders 
adopted  St.  George  as  their  saint  and  even  as  the 
patron  of  England,  and  around  his  name  many  a 
remarkable  legend  has  gathered.  Churches  were 
erected  in  Lydda  in  the  sixteentli  and  seven- 
teenth centuries  by  an  English  king,  but  the 
church  of  St.  George  is  now  in  possession  of  the 
Greeks,  who  restored  it  a  few  years  ago.  Parts 
of  this  church  can  be  distinguished  which  are, 
perhaps,  as  old  as  the  twelfth  century.  Beneath 
is  the  crypt  which  it  is  said  contained  the  tomb 
of  St.  George.  Some  traditions  afhnn  that  Justin- 
ian reaied  a  church  here  to  the  memory  of  St. 


"  GOING   UP   TO   JKRUSALKM  " 


George,  but  that  the  Saracens  destroyed  it  in  the 
eighth  century ;  thai  it  was  completed  bv  the 
crusaders  destro)ed  by  Saladin,  and  finally  re- 
bui  by  Richard  Cceur  de  I.ion.  It  is  easy  to 
see  that  the  present  church  was  erected  of  various 
materials  and  at  different  periods 

One  ineets  at  Lydda  a  painfully  lart^^e  number 
of  people  who  are  afflicted  with  diseases  of  the 
eyes.      Their   appearance    is   often    loathsome. 

either  but  one  eye  or  no  e>es. 

RAMi.EH.-We  are  making  our  journey  by 
railway  and  in  a  few  minutes  after  leaving  Lydda 
he  train  reaches  Ramleh.  This  is  really  an  in- 
teresting place.  The  town  is  supposed  to  have 
been  founded  as  early  as  716  by  Khalif  Sulei- 
man     1  he  name  is  of  Arabic  origin,  and  is  sud- 

?Xh  P  '"'1"  "f  "^V     ^"  ^70  the  town  wa^s 
called  Raniula.     It  is  believed   to  have  been  at 
one  time  large,  than  Jerusalem.     By  many  the 
town  was  thought  to  occupy  the  site  of  the  an- 
cient Arimathea,  but  this  tradition   cannot   be 
traced  beyorri  the  thirteenth  century  ;  it  was  also 
believed  that  the  Latin  convent  stood  on  the  site 
ot  the  house  of  Nicodemus  ;  but  all  these  tradi- 
tions  are  now  held   in  very  little  esteem.     We 
know  that  before  the  time  of  the  crusades  Chris- 
tian churches  flourished  at  Ramleh.     In  looq  a 
bishopric  of  Lydda  and   Ramleh   was  founded 
Ramleh  was    twice    captured    by  the    Saracen.; 
during   he  war  between  tlie  Franks  and  Saladin. 
In  the  truce  between  Richard  of  England  and 


f!5 


28 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


Saladin,  made  in  1192,  it  was  agreed  that  the 
plain  from  Joppa  to  Tyre,  including  part  of  Ram- 
leh  and  Lydda,  should  be  in  the  possession  of  the 
Christians.  In  1202  Ramleh  was  wholly  Chris- 
tian ;  but  after  the  fifteenth  century  the  town  fell 
into  decay.  We  are  told  that  in  the  Latin  mon- 
astery Napoleon  once  had  his  headquarters. 

There  is  to-day  a  population  of  about  eight 
thousand,  nearly  one  thousand  of  whom  are 
Greek  Christians.  The  orchards  in  the  vicinity 
are  numerous,  fertile,  and  beautiful,  and  one  is 
gratified  with  their  fragrance  ;  but  the  town  it- 
self is  wretched  and  abominable.  As  usual  in 
these  Eastern  cities,  the  streets  are  narrow  and 
dirty.  Ophthalmic  diseases  are  very  common 
here  as  at  Lydda  ;  their  prevalence  is  attributed 
by  some  to  the  sand  that  often  fills  the  air,  and 
by  others  to  the  small  thorns  of  the  prickly  pear 
which,  when  the  fruit  is  ripe,  are  blown  about  in 
every  breeze.  The  fields  yield  rich  crops  and 
are  usually  enclosed  by  hedges  of  cactus.  The 
climate  is  unusually  mild,  but  not  very  healthful. 
The  chief  object  of  interest  is  the  tower  of  Ram- 
leh ;  this  is  square  and  of  great  beauty.  Their 
are  no  fewer  than  one  hundred  and  twenty  steps 
which  reach  to  its  top.  Some  believe  that  this 
tower  was  part  of  a  mosque  erected  by  the  early 
inliabitants  of  the  town  ;  but  others,  and  it  would 
seem  with  more  correctness,  affirm  that  it  was  a 
Christian  church  built  by  the  crusaders.  There 
is  an  inscription  which  assigns  the  origin  of  this 
tower  to  a  ^loslem  chieftain,  but  it  is  well  knovv^n 
that  but  little  weight  can  be  attached  to  such 


{■ 


"  GOING    UP   TO   JERUSALEM  "  29 


an  inscription.     It  is   not   nncominon  to  i)lace 
inscriptions  of  a  later  date  on   bnildin<rs  erected 
far  earlier,  and  by  those  of  a  different  faith      The 
view  from  the  top  of  the  tower  is  beantifnl  and 
diversified  in  the  extreme.     From   this  lieiHit 
the  wdiole  plain  of  Sharon,  from  the  monntains 
J"dea  and  Samaria  to  the  sea,  can  be  readily 
seen      The  eye  is  held  by  the  magical   charm, 
and  the  imagination  is  delighted.     Dr.   Thom- 
son calls  especial  attention  to  the  beanty  of  this 
view  at  the  setting  of  the  snn :     "  Beantiful  as 
vast,  and  diversified  as  beantifnl,  the  eve  is  fasci- 
nated,   the    imagination    enchanted,  'especially 
when  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  snn  light  up  the 
white  villages  which  sit  or  hang  upon  the  many- 
shaped  declivities  of  the  monntains."     One  can 
well  imagine  that  the  view  seen  at  that  time  is 
suggestive  of  fairyland.     The  eye  takes  in  Ash'- 
dod  Askelon,  Oath,  and  the  country  from  Oa/a 
in  the  south  to  Cc-esarea  in  the  north,  from  the 
Mediterranean  on  the  west  to  the  mountains  of 
bamaria  on  the  east. 

The  entire  plain  is  worthy  of  most  careful  ex- 
amination ;  references  to  it  abound  in  the  Bible 
It  is  of  this  plain  that  Isaiah  speaks  (^3  :  9)  when 
he  says  :  "  The  earth  mourneth  and  languisheth  • 
Ivebanon  is  ashamed  and  hewn  down  :  Sharon  is 
like  a  wilderness"  ;  to  it  he  also  refers  in  chap. 
35  '  I,  2,  but  in  quite  a  different  tone,  when  he 
says:  "The  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place 
shall  be  glad  for  them  ;  .  .  the  excellency  of 
Larmel  and  Sharon,  they  shall  see  the  crbry  of 
the  Lord."     In  the  Song  of  Solomon,  reference 


"i 


f' 


h .: 


'I 


i 


JV   "1 

11  ^ 


30 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


is  made  to  the  "Rose  of  Sharon,"  which  is  sup- 
posed to  be  a  species  of  narcissus  or  mallow 
or  asphodel.  This  latter  is  sometimes  called 
"  Christ's  blood-drop."  These  and  other  flowers 
are  found  at  the  right  season  in  great  abundance 
in  this  plain.  Doctor  Thomson  regards  Solo- 
mon's rose  as  a  species  of  mallow. 

In  journeying  from  Ramleh  to  Jerusalem  one 
finds  at  every  step  on  this  plain  suggestive  illus- 
trations of  Scripture  references.  Here  is  a  man 
plowing,  and  his  plow  is  so  constructed  that  he 
has  but  one  hand  upon  it.  In  the  other  hand  he 
holds  the  goad  with  which  he  prods  the  tired 
oxen.  We  are  at  once  reminded  of  the  words  of 
our  Lord  when  he  said :  "  No  man  having  put 
his  hand  to  the  plow  "  ;  and  also  of  the  words 
said  to  the  Apostle  Paul,  r«.:^arding  his  kicking 
against  the  pricks,  when  he  was  smitten  down  on 
the  Damascus  highway.  We  also  notice  that  on 
this  field  there  is  no  hedge,  no  fence — fences  are 
unnecessary,  as  the  people  fear  to  incur  the  curse 
which  should  fall  on  him  who  removed  his 
neighbor's  landmark.  A  careful  study  of  the 
characteristics  of  the  country  throws  wonderful 
light  on  the  statements  of  the  Bible.  A  visit  to 
the  land  marvelously  ilhnnines  and  confirms  the 
book,  so  that  "  land  and  book  "  must  be  studied 
together. 

Other  Historical  Places. — Soon  we  come 
to  the  valley  of  Ajalon,  where  Joshua  obtained 
the  victory  over  the  five  kings  of  the  Amorites. 
Once  more  we  seem  to  hear  Joshua's  voice,  say- 


>•! 


I 


1 


"GOING   UP   TO   JERUSALEM" 


31 


1 


ing :  "  Sun,  stand  thou  still  upon  Gibcon  ;  and 
thou,  moon,  in  the  valley  of  Ajalon."  ^  Did 
space  permit,  it  would  be  easy  to  show  that  there 
IS  nothing  in  the  language  of  the  narrative  which 
obliges  us  to  take  the  words  literally.  The  lan- 
guage here  employed  is  a  quotation  from  the 
book  of  Jasher,  a  book  of  national  songs  illustra- 
tive of  the  exploits  of  national  heroes.  It  is  dis- 
tinctly stated  that  this  language  is  a  quotation, 
and  It  seems  clear  that  it  is  only  a  poetic  way  of 
saying  that  Joshua  was  victorious. 

Here  is  Jimzu,  or  ancient  Gimzo,  which  was 
captured  from  the  Israelites  by  the  Philistines 
with  Ajalon  and  other  places,  in  the  reign  of 
Ahaz.     It  stands  like  a  fortress  above  the  Tower 
hills,  like  a  sentinel  to  defend  the  passes  beyond. 
On  our  left,  as  we  resume  our  journey  by  the 
railway,  are  the  two  Beth-horons,  and  Gezer  — 
meaning  "a   precipice,"— whose    king   was   de- 
feated by  Joshua.     Gezer  was  long  a  strong  for- 
tress  of   the   Pliilistines ;    it   was    invaded    bv 
David,  and  finally  was  captured  by  Pharaoh,  who 
gave  It  to  his  daughter,  who  is  believed  to  have 
been  the  wife  of  Solomon,  and  the  place  was  re- 
built by  Solomon.    The  two  Beth-horons  occupy 
an  important  place  in  biblical  history ;  they  are 
the  scene  of  one  of  Joshua's  most  famous  battles. 
Joshua  was  summoned  by  the  Gibeonites  to  come 
in  great  haste.     They  said  :  "  Slack  not  thy  hand 
trom  thy  servants  ;  come  up  to  us  quickly,  and 
save  us,  and  help  us ;  for  all  the  kings  of  the 


*  Josh.  10  :  12. 


fyy< 


i 


.  ■ 

'I. 

''I 

I  'I 

i 


32 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


Ainorites  which  dwell  in  the  nioiintains  are 
gathered  together  against  us."  They  regarded 
their  case  as  desperate.  Joshua  lost  not  a  mo- 
ment in  hastening  to  their  relief.  As  in  many 
battles,  ancient  and  modern,  everything  depended 
iipon  the  suddenness  and  sharpness  of  the  blow 
which  Joshua  might  strike  in  order  to  break  in 
pieces  the  hostile  confederacy.  Many  military 
men  of  our  own  time,  who  have  carefully  studied 
this  forced  march  by  Joshua,  give  him  the 
greatest  praise  for  the  vigor  and  courage  which 
he  manifested,  and  the  success  which  he  achieved. 
On  a  former  occasion  he  took  three  days  in  going 
from  Gilgal  to  Gibeon  ;  but  on  this  occasion  he 
made  the  journey  in  a  night.  When  the  sun 
rose  he  was  already  at  the  foot  of  the  heights  of 
Gibeon  where  the  kings  were  encamped.  His 
presence  filled  his  foes  with  alarm.  The  terrible 
shout  and  the  sudden  appearance  of  Ls^'ael  were 
irresistible.  The  Canaanites  fled  down  the  west- 
ern pass ;  a  great  storm  from  heaven,  accom- 
panied with  lightning,  thunder,  and  hail,  broke 
over  the  alarmed  soldiers  as  they  fled  in  disor- 
dered ranks.  There  on  the  summit  of  the  pass 
of  upper  Beth-horon  stood  Joshua.  In  the  dis- 
tance was  the  green  valley  of  Ajalon,  and  the 
waters  of  the  ^lediterranean  beyond  ;  and  below 
him  the  Amorite  host  rushing  onward  in  wild 
confusion.  Over  the  western  valley  of  Ajalon 
was  the  form  of  the  waning  moon,  perhaps  visi- 
ble above  the  hailstorm  driven  tip  from  the  sea. 
IVIust  night  come  before  the  victory  is  complete  ? 
Can  it  be  that  the  allies  shall  be  rewarded  with 


(( 


GOING   UP  TO  JERUSALEM  " 


33 

victory  before  the  day  shall  close  ?l}elioTd  the 
pic  lire  of  Joshua  standing  on  that  lofty  height 
With  outstretched  hand  and  uplifted  spear.  Go 
graciously  h.ard  his  prayer;  the  day  did  no 
dose  xmtil  the  glorious  victory  was  secured. 
Ihere  is  no  space  here  to  enlarge  upon  these 
wonderfully  interesting  historic  instances;  they 
our  -oun""?   '  ^"^^^'^^"^  ^^  ^^  ^^^^en  forward  on 

Yonder  is  Makkedah,  where  the  five  kino-s 
were  found  hid  in  a  cave/  and  here  was  enacted 
the  last  scene  of  an  eventful  day,  for  tlie  five 
kings  were  brought  out,  siain,  and  hanged  on 
five  trees  until  the  going  down  of  the  sun.^  Here 
IS  Latrun,  meaning  robber;  this  is  the  native 
place,   according   to   tradition,   of   the    penitent 

rohb;r  T  'T^  •^^'''^'  ""^  J^'^P^^  ^^^"^  intended 
[s  thffn^^  '.  impenitent  thief.  Near  Utrun 
^  the  village  of  Anuvas,  or  Eniinaus,  but  not  the 
Emmaus  mentioned  in  Luke's  Gospel.  Not  far 
disant  IS  Abou-gosch.  This  place  was  named 
atter  a  famous  robber  who  once  was  the  terror  of 
all  travelers  in  this  vicinity.  Wonderful  things 
come  to  one's  mind  as  he  remembers  that  in  stil^ 
more  distant  times  this  was  Kirjath-jearim,  t le 
City  of  the  Woods."     There  is  music  in  t    s 

T'"-  u^^lS  ^'^  ^^  ^^^^  ^'^^  been  at  Be  i- 
shemesh.     To  that  place  came  the  men  of  Kir- 

TuUTT  ^^^  ^'°"§^^^^  '^  ^"t«  the  house  of 
Abinadab.  For  twenty  years  the  ark  abode 
there,  during  which  time  Israel  was  brought  into 

'Josh.  lo  :  i6,  17. 
C 


)| 


Vi 


I 

I'V 


s. 


34 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURKS 


u 


t 


^ ' 


penitence  for  their  sins,  and  led  to  long  for  the 
forgiveness  of  God. 

We  behold  Gibcon,  from  which  place  went  the 
cunning  inhabitants  who  made  a  league  with 
Joshua,  leading  him  to  suppose  that  they  had 
come  from  a  far  country.  Their  garments  were 
old,  their  shoes  were  patched,  and  their  pro- 
visions were  musty,  so  their  story  was  accepted. 
Joshua  soon  discovered  the  imposition  that  had 
been  practised  upon  him.  These  people  were 
really  his  neighbors.  He  permitted  them  to 
live,  but  made  them  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers 
of  water  to  the  whole  congregation.  Later, 
Gibeon  became  a  city  of  the  Levites ;  it  was 
here  that  God  appeared  to  Solomon  in  a  dream 
by  night,  and  that  Solomon  received  the  promise 
of  riches  and  honor.  Many  other  interesting 
biblical  facts  are  associated  with  this  historic 
name. 

We  have  left  behind  us  the  country  of  Sam- 
son, in  which  he  passed  his  playful  boyhood. 
Yonder  is  Zorah,  the  home  of  Manoah  and  the 
birthplace  of  Samson.  Nothing,  however,  is 
now  left  of  it  but  a  cistern,  and  only  a  wretched 
hamlet  marks  the  site  of  Timnath,  two  miles 
west  of  Bcth-shemesh,  where  Samson  married 
his  Philistine  wife.  The  valley  now  called  Sarar 
is  probably  the  valley  of  Sorek,  where  the  in- 
famous Delilah  dwelt.  Somewhere  in  this  vicin- 
ity Samson  killed  the  young  lion,  and  in  the  re- 
cesses of  these  mountains  he  caught  the  three 
hundred  jackals  which  carried  the  torches  among 
the  standing  corn  of  the  Philistines. 


"GOING   UP  TO  JKRUSALKM" 


35 

,    Nkaring    jKRUSAi,KM.~\Ve   lia^;t^7"^^„r 
journey  with  all  these  siicrgcstive  places  passin<r 
in  rapid  succession   before  our  iraze.     We   are 
Hearing  Jerusalem.     Other  sites  on  the  journey 
might  be  described,  but  we  shall  not  pause  to 
multiply  the  number  of  these  historic  places  as 
we   pursue  our  journey.     We  reach  wonderful 
heights  as  we  near  Jerusalem.     Perhaps  Neby 
Samuil  IS  the  ancient  Mizpeh  ;  if  so,  what  mar- 
velous events  have  here  occurred !     We  take  a 
broad  outlook  of  the  country  before  us.     Beyond 
Jerusalem  are  the  hills  of  Moab,  forming  a  strik- 
ing  picture  in  the  landscape.     One  is  impressed 
by  the  smallness  of  the  country  which  has  filled 
so  large  a  place  in  sacred  and  secular  history 

o     New  y     "S'-'"  'T  ^^  ^^^^^^'  ^^  '^'^  State 
of   New   Hampshire.     Its   estimated   length    is 

about  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles,  and  its 
average  breadth  only  about  sixty  miles.  Its 
population  ,s  not  one-half  that  of  the  State  of 
New  \ork  It  is,  as  suggested  in  the  introduc- 
tory chapter,  divided  into  four  easily  distin- 
guished sections.  There  is  first  the  Maritime 
Plain  along  the  seacoast ;  then  the  central  belt  of 
mountains ;  next,  the  valley  through  which  the 

enl.  f  .^'^''/"^'  i""">^'  ^^'^  table-land  on  the 
east  of  the  Jordan.  From  our  point  of  view  near 
Jerusalem,  all  these  facts  are  readily  suggested 
to  the  mind  of  the  traveler;  on  one  side\  the 
Mediterranean,  w^th  its  white  sails  ;  on  the  other 
side  IS  the  range  of  Moab,  as  the  eastern  bound- 
ary of  the  country.  Almost  the  whole  land 
from  Dan  to  Beer-sheba,  can  be  taken  in  a^a 


/ 


?: 


ri 


'r 


i  I 


M 


,) 


36 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   I.KCTURKS 


single  glance.  The  snn  is  ncaring  its  setting; 
we  are  approacliing  the  city  of  the  great  King. 
One's  pulse  beats  fast.  The  railway  station  is 
reached,  soon  we  are  crossing  the  valley  of 
Hinnoni.  Here  is  the  pool  of  Gihon  ;  yonder, 
rising  in  grim  grandeur,  is  the  tower  of  David  ; 
here  is  the  Jaffa  Gate,— this  is  Jerusalem. 

We  turn  to  the  left  to  our  hotel,  outside  of  the 
walls.  The  dream  of  years  is  about  to  become  a 
reality.  The  city,  sacred  in  song  and  story,  will 
be  entered  in  the  morning.  Can  one  compose 
himself  to  sleep  in  the  midst  of  such  historic 
realities?  Never  before  did  the  Bible  story 
seem  so  real ;  never  before  was  Jerusalem  so  near 
and  yet,  in  one  sense,  so  far  distant.  With  the 
dawn  of  the  morrow,  our  feet  will  pass  through 
the  Jaffa  Gate;  and  now  to-night,  let  us  read 
with  a  meaning  never  before  known,  the  words 
of  the  one  hundred  and  twenty-second  psalm. 
Thinking  of  the  morrow,  the  second  verse  ex- 
presses our  purpose  as  we  compose  ourselves  to 
rest :  "  Our  feet  shall  stand  within  thy  gates,  O 
Jerusalem.' 


IV 


JERUSALEM— "  HABITATION  OF  PEACE" 

l\/rOST  travelers  are  disappointed  with  their 
IVX      first  view  of  Jcnisalem.     Indeed,  in  tlie 
case  of  many  persons,  tliis  remark  will  applv  to 
the  Holy  Land    as  a  whole.     Those  who  visit 
Palestine  expecting  to  have  a  great  spiritual  up- 
litt  from  the  places  which  they  visit,  because  of 
their  connection  with  sacred  scenes  in  the  life  of 
our  Lord  and  his  apostles,  will  assuredly  be  dis- 
appointed.     There  are  but  few  places  in  Pales- 
tine, drawing  a  circle  around  which,  and  walkincr 
within  that  circle,  one  can   be  sure  that  he  is 
treading  the  soil  once  trodden  by  the  feet  of  the 
Son  of  God.    With  the  exception  of  the  immedi- 
ate vicinity  of  Jacob's  Well,  there  are  few  places 
in  Palestine  which  one  can  be  sure  that  Christ 
trod.     The  grotto  at  Bethlehem  does  not  give  us 
the  certainty  that  we  had  expected,  nor  the  sup- 
posed si  e  of  the  home  and  other  sacred  places  in 
Nazareth.     One  cannot  be  sure  of  the  exact  lo- 
cality in  which   our   Lord's  miracles  were  per- 
termed,  and  a  vast  amount  of  topographical  ob- 
scurity hangs  around  all   the   places  visited   by 
our  Lord      But  perhaps  this  obscuritv  is  greater 
at  Jerusa  em  than  at  any  other  part  of  Palestine. 
ihe  marked  natural  features,  of  course,  still  re- 

37 


;  I- 


I'f. 


U'\ 


¥! 


'I' 

t'l'. 


: 


38 


SUNDAY   Nir.IlT   I.KCTURKS 


main ;  but  all  the  details  re{^^1r(ling  definite  lo- 
calities are  now  in  hopeless  doubt.  The  effort 
to  secure  fixed  and  limited  localities  must  end  in 
failure.  Perhaps  it  was  the  divine  purpose  that 
we  should  not  know  Christ  unduly  accordiu}^  to 
the  flesh.  We  know  that  M.  Renan  has  testified 
that :  "  All  that  history  which  at  a  distance 
seemed  to  float  in  the  clouds  of  an  unreal  world 
took  instantly  a  body,  a  solidity,  which  astonished 
me.  The  striking  accord  between  the  text  and 
the  places,  the  marvelous  harmony  of  the  evan- 
gelical picture,  with  the  country  which  served 
as  its  frame,  were  to  me  as  a  revelation."  The 
truth  of  Renan's  words  every  intelligent  visitor 
to  the  Holy  Land  can  appreciate  ;  but  those  who 
go  expecting  that  their  visit  will  throw  wonderful 
light  on  disputed  localities,  or  will  give  them 
great  spiritual  exaltation,  will  be  doomed  to  dis- 
appointment. The  hand  of  time  and  the  ruth- 
less touch  of  the  infidel  have  destroyed  the 
definite  marks  of  localities  made  sacred  by  the 
pre  • -uce  of  Jesus.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say 
that  persons  who  visit  Palestine  with  exaggerated 
notions  of  the  vividness  with  which  sacred  places 
and  events  will  be  brought  to  their  minds,  may 
have  their  faith  shaken,  as  they  certainly  will 
have  their  comfort  for  a  time  destroyed.  But 
those  who  go  with  an  intelligent  appreciation  of 
the  condition  of  the  country,  of  the  discomforts 
and  difficulties  of  travel,  and  of  the  lawlessness 
and  filthiness  of  the  people,  and  who  at  the  same 
time  have  their  minds  well  stored  with  biblical 
facts,  will  be  greatly  helped  in  their  understand- 


JKRUSAUiM— "  lIAniTATION  OF   I'l: ACR  "    30 


Iff  Of   he  Hible  ami  i„  tl.cir  ap,>rcciatio„  of  tl,c 
I.fc  and  work  of  the  divine  Led.     Sneh  ,xrso  s 

ho  £1""^  ''•■'  ''°^^  inseparably  the  I.acl  m 
tl  c  Hook  are  associated,  and   Imw  eaeh  delii; 
fully  Illustrates,  emphasises,  a„<l   beautifies  The 

On  enterinK  the  Jaffa  Gate  it  is  fittinj,.  that  we 
00k  carefn lly  at  onr  environment  atid  become 
familiar  with  the  facts  of  history  wliicl  Ta ml 
intimately  connected   therewith.  ^'iC 
to  believe  that   this  comparativelv  smal    tx,w 

?  ailv'the^Hor''' r-.""-'  T^'  ^^"^ '"  ^■'  '■-"'' 

,^^    '  -B       .   °'''  .•-">■;  """  "''«  comparatively 

msisnificant  citv-  is  a.ssocialed  with  the  grandest 

e  n",  n-"'  he"'- "  ''f  ^'^>' •-•""  ""-"''  >.n.«I.^n  fc 

centuries  the  city  of  .song  and  .story,  and  the  most 

acred  p  aee  on  this  globe.     As  a  .natter  o     act 

.t  IS  not   the  city  of  prophets  and  apo.stles,  „ 

kings  and  saints,  and  of  him  who  was  the  wor  d^ 

desire  and  the  Father's  beloved  Son.     TheTe  „! 

salem  whose  streets  Jesus  trod  was  very  n„,eh 

arger  than  the  Jern.salem  of  to-day.     \\e  "  ow 

that  in  Christ's  time  Zion  was  covered  whl,  pa 

aces;  but  now,  in  hannouy  with  aneiei        o^^ 

part  of  It  IS  a  plowed  field.     Now,  in  other  places 
m  the  vicinity  of  the  Holy  City  tlie  husbandman 
pursues  his  toil,  and  in  still  other  places  desol 
t.oii  reign.s  where  once  were  the  ho/ncs  of  weal  Ii 
and  splendor  which  formed  a  part  of  the  g    a 


*  Micah  3  :  12. 


h 


40 


vSUNDAY    NIGHT   LECTURES 


I'/ 


We  may  not  be  able  to  decide  with  absolute 
certainty  as  to  the  origin  of  the  word  Jerusalem. 
Regarding  its  derivation  and  significance  there 
will  ever  be  much  difference  betv/een  the  most 
learned  authorities.  Some  say  that  the  name 
Shalem  was  given  it  by  Shem,  and  the  name 
Jirah  by  Abraham,  and  that  the  two  were  after- 
ward combined  so  as  to  form  the  present  name. 
Otliers  make  the  word  mean,  "  Foundation  of 
Peace,"  deriving  it  from  two  words,  which  in 
combination  give  this  meaning.  Still  others  give 
its  termination  the  form  of  the  Hebrew  dual.  It 
is  said  that  as  early  as  1400  B.  C.  we  hear  of  it  as 
Uru-Salim,  the  residence  of  one  of  the  Egyptian 
district  governors  who  for  a  time  ruled  Palestine, 
and  that  the  cuneiform  tablets  discovered  at  Tel 
el-Amarna,  contain  several  letters  from  ':ne  gov- 
ernor of  Uru-Salim  to  his  sovereign,  giving  re- 
ports of  the  Hittite  invasion  of  Palestine.  This 
name  is  interpreted  to  mean  "  City  of  Peace." 
Perhaps  Jerusalem  is  simply  its  Hebraized  form. 

Probably  the  better  derivation  is  that  which 
makes  it  mean,  *'  Foundation  or  Habitation  of 
Peace."  But  whatever  derivation  we  give  to  the 
name,  all  will  agree  that  this  chief  city  of  the 
Holy  Land  is  to  Christian  believers  the  most  in- 
teresting place  in  the  whole  world.  Three  cities 
are  great  centers  of  religious  life  and  power,  Jeru- 
salem, Rome,  iVIoscow  ;  but  of  these  three  Jerusa- 
lem is  incomparably  the  greatest.  It  is  a  center 
of  religious  life  alike  to  the  Jew  and  to  the 
Christian  ;  it  is  tiie  source  of  the  faith  of  Protes- 
tant and  Romanist  alike,  and  is  deemed  a  sacred 


JERU«>AI.EM — "HABITATION   OF   PEACE"    41 


city  e/eii  by  the  jMohaiiimedans,  as  the  Arabic 
name,  HI  Kuds,  which  they  to-day  give  it,  signi- 
fies. The  name,  it  is  said,  is  used  eight  hundred 
and  thirteen  times  in  the  Old  Testamer<^  nud  in 
the  New. 

Its  history  is  long,  sad,  and  yet  Jtscin^ting 
and  inspiring.  Its  situation  and  locaiio::  indi- 
cated from  the  very  first  that  there  would  always 
be  a  city  on  its  important  site  or  in  its  immedi- 
ate vicinity.  Topographical  peculiarities  mark 
the  location  of  great  cities.  The  presence  of 
rivers  and  the  bay  say  as  clearly  regarding  New 
York  as  if  God  liad  spoken  with  an  audible 
voice,  Let  there  here  be  a  city.  With  scarcely 
less  distinctness  did  God  speak  regarding  the 
location  of  Jerusalem.  It  is  on  the  central  table- 
land of  Judea ;  it  is  on  the  watershed  between 
the  ]\Iediterranean  and  the  Jordan.  Had  there 
been  reference  merely  to  centrality  of  location, 
Jerusalem  would  not  have  been  chosen  as  the 
capital.  Indeed,  Samaria  and  some  other  cities 
had  strong  claims  to  the  honor  of  being  the  cap- 
ital ;  but  the  well-nigh  impregnable  position  of 
Jerusalem  gave  it  remarkable  advantage*^  over  all 
other  claimants  in  the  Holy  Land.  Jerusalem  did 
not  become  the  capital  until  a  comparatively  late 
date  in  the  history  of  the  nation  ;  it  was  not 
eyt'fi  possessed  by  Israel  until  some  time  after  the 
second  neriod  of  their  history,  that  of  the  mon- 
archy, iiad  been  entered.  It  long  resisted  all  the 
att^'inpts  of  the  Israelites  to  become  its  masters  ; 
and  after  the  division  of  the  tribes  it  long  re- 
mained the  capital  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah.     It 


42 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


f'/ 


I'- 


I  /■' 


is  first  known  to  us  as  Salem  (Gen.  14  :  18), 
then  as  Jebns  (Jndg.  19  :  10).  When  it  was  cap- 
tured by  David  and  his  warriors  it  became 
"  the  City  of  David."  Finally  it  was  greatly 
beautified  by  Solomon,  and  when  the  temple 
was  erected  on  Mt.  Moriali  and  the  ark  was 
brought  from  Mt.  Zion,  it  seemed  as  if  the  glory 
of  Jerusalem  was  complete  and  would  be  perma- 
nent. But  we  know  that  it  was  plundered  by 
Shishak  and  Pharaoh-Necho,  kings  of  Egypt ; 
that  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Babylon,  pillaged 
it  three  times,  and  that  finally  the  temple 
and  palaces  were  burned  and  the  walls  leveled 
to  the  ground,  and  that  King  Zcdekiah  and  the 
remnant  of  the  people  were  carried  to  Babylon. 

After  the  return  from  the  Babylonish  captivity, 
the  city  and  temple  were  slowly  rebuilt.  About 
tlie  year  332,  without  a  siege,  Jerusalem  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Alexander  the  Great.  In  320 
B.  c,  Ptolemy,  King  of  Egypt,  besieged  it  on  the 
vSabbath,  knowing  that  the  Jews  would  not  fight 
on  that  holy  day,  and  he  easily  took  it  by  assault. 
There  is  not  space  in  this  chapter  to  go  into  this 
remarkable  history  in  detail ;  but  it  may  be  said 
that  about  175  b.  c.  the  city  fell  under  the  cruel 
power  of  the  infamous  Antiochus  Epiphanes, 
who  set  up  an  image  to  Jupiter  in  the  temple, 
and  used  every  other  means  in  his  power  to 
compel  the  people  to  become  idolaters.  He  in- 
troduced Greek  sports,  dress,  and  names,  and  did 
all  in  his  power  to  efface  all  the  marks  of  Jewish 
faith  and  life. 

Under  the  Maccabees,  the  Jews,  in  163  B.  c,  re- 


\it 


JERUSALEM — "habitation   OF   PEACE"    43 


.., 


;o 


covered  their  power.  Exactly  one  luindred  years 
passed,  and  in  63  b.  c.  the  Romans,  under  Pom- 
pey,  conquered  the  Jews.  Jerusalem  was  plun- 
dered by  Crassus,  B.  c.  54,  but  was  soon  greatly 
embellished  by  Herod  the  Great.  It  was  to  Jeru- 
salem thus  beautified,  and  to  the  temple  thus  re- 
built, that  the  Messiah  came,  according  to  the 
ancient  prophecies,  and  it  was  the  crowning  sin 
of  this  city  that  the  Lord  of  life  and  glory  was 
rejected  by  her  people.  In  his  rejection  and  cru- 
cifixion Jerusalem  filled  her  cup  of  wrath.  In 
70  A.  D.,  the  utter  destruction  of  Jerusalem  was 
accomplished.  On  the  thirteenth  of  April  of 
that  year,  the  city  was  crowded  w  ith  worshipers. 
At  the  foot  of  the  IMount  of  Olives  Titus  sta- 
tioned the  famous  tenth  legion  ;  then,  according 
to  the  remarkable  prediction  of  our  Lord,  he  cast 
a  trench  around  the  citv.  Soon  the  awful  rava<res 
of  famine  were  experienced.  The  people  were 
divided  into  tw-o  parties.  It  is  said  that  between 
April  and  July  of  that  year,  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  thousand  died  and  were  buried  in  the  city. 
Near  the  end  of  July,  Antonia  was  stormed  ;  the 
Jews  defended  the  holy  places  with  fanatical  and 
furious  zeal,  but  on  the  tenth  of  August  all  was 
lost.  A  soldier,  we  are  told,  threw  a  firebrand  into 
a  doorway  on  the  north  side  of  one  of  the  cham- 
bers of  the  temple  and  soon  all  the  buildings  were 
wrapped  in  flame-.  Wildly  rose  the  terrible  up- 
roar .  the  larkness  was  illumined  by  the  light  of 
burrang  btiildings  ;  the  shouts  of  the  victors  and 
the  groans  of  the  vanquished  rent  the  air.  Titus 
strove  to  5a\  e  the  temple  ;  it  was  not  his  purpose 


1 


li 


ih> 


44 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


■II 


I*- 


^' 


/  ■  ■ 
I'l* 


!  I 


'i' 


to  destroy  the  beautiful  city  and  temple  ;  but  the 
wild  fanaticism  of  the  Jews  and  the  reckless  de- 
sires of  his  own  soldiers  thwarted  his  purpose. 
Many  Jews,  even  then,  in  the  midst  of  these  aw- 
ful experiences,  expected  the  ^lessiah  to  come 
for  their  deliverance.  Six  thousand  men,  women, 
and  children  were  burned  in  a  portion  of  the 
sacred  buildings.  As  Jesus  had  pred  cted,  not 
one  stone  was  left  upon  another.  Zion,  how- 
ever, still  existed ;  but  on  September  the 
seventh,  the  Romans  burst,  with  triumphant 
shouts,  into  this  last  stronghold  of  their  fierce 
foes.  The  streets  were,  for  the  most  part,  silent ; 
houses  were  filled  with  dead  bodies,  as  were  also 
the  sewers.  It  is  said  that  more  than  a  million 
thus  terribly  periijlied.  One's  heart  aches  as  he 
studies  these  sad  details.  One  sees,  as  never  be- 
fore, the  folly  and  wickedness  of  the  Jews  in 
denying  their  IVIessiah.  No  words  can  adequately 
describe  the  horrors  connected  with  the  capture 
of  Jerusalem. 

Finally,  a  temple  to  Jupiter  Capitolinus  was 
erected  on  IVIount  IVIoriah,  and  the  name  of  the 
city  was  changed  to  ^lia  Capitolina,  and  it  was 
consecratt  il  to  heathen  deities.  The  purpose  was 
to  defile  the  city  as  much  as  possible,  and  blot  out 
all  traces  alike  of  Judaism  and  Christianity  ;  and 
also  to  make  the  city  the  home  of  the  heathenism 
whicli  the  Jews  so  terribly  detested.  The  name 
of  Jerusalem  almost  perished  from  among  men, 
^ylia  becoming  the  name  by  which  the  city  was 
knov  11  to  all  the  heathen  nations.  In  the  time 
of  Constantine,  however,  the  ancient  name  was 


! 


JERUSAI.RM — "HABITATION   OF   PI- ACE  "     45 

resumed      Pldena,  the  inotlicr7rCo,istairtine^ 
bmlt  a  church   lu    Bethlclieni  aud  oue  ou   the 
Mouut  of   Ohves  iu  326.     She  made   tlie   city 
once  more  a  Christau  city.     Juliau  gave  peruiis- 
sion  to  tlie  Jews  to  rebuild  the  temple  :  but  as  the 
superstitious  men  of  the  time  believed,  this  pur- 
pose was  frustrated   by  earthquakes  and  by  the 
explosion  of  balls  cf  fxre  among  the  workmen. 
Ill  614  the  city  was  taken  by  the  king  of  Persia 
who  slew,  It  is  said,  nearly  one  hundred  thousand 
men.     He  aimed  to  destroy  everything  which  the 
Lliristians  venerated,  and  he  encouraged  the  Tews 
to  return  to  their  ancient  city.     In  637  it  surren- 
dered  to  the  Caliph  Omar  and  became  a  IMoham- 
medan  city  the  Mosque  of  Omar  taking  the  place 
of  the  temple  on  Mount  Moriah.     In  1076  it  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  Turks,  when  awful  barbar- 
1  les  were  inflicted  on   Christians  ;  but  in    looo 
the  crusaders,  under  Godfrey  of  Bouillon,  took 
Jerusalem    and     elected     Godfrey    their    kino- 
In  1187  the  city  again  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Moslems,  Irnving  been  captured  by  Saladin,  Sul- 
tan  of  the  East,  who  was  assisted,  it  is  supposed 
by  the  treachery  of  Raymond,  Count  of  Tripoli' 
who  was  found  dead  in  his  bed  on  the  day  agreed 
upon  for  giving  the  city  into  the  hands  of  the 
Moslems.     In   1229  the  city  ^yas  again  in   the 
hands  of  Christians  ;    but  ten  years  later  it  was 
once  more  Mohammedan  ;  and  four  years   later 
tne  Christians  were  in  authority.     In  1 244  it  was 
taken  by  storm  by  a  Tartar  horde.     Finally  in 
1517  It  vyas  taken  by  Ottoman  Sultan   Selim 
who  also  became  the  master  of  Egypt  and  Syria' 


m 


iff 


f'/ 


I'f 


m 


46 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


i5 


^  W 


r^ 


Vc' 


.:i 


i » 


111  1542  his  son  Solyman  reconstructed  the  pres- 
ent wall.  In  1800  Napoleon  planned  to  storm  it, 
but  he  finally  f>;^ave  up  the  idea.  It  was  bom- 
barded by  the  Turks  in  1825.  In  1831  it  submit- 
ted to  the  pasha  of  Egypt,  IVIohaninied  AH,  but  in 
1840  it  again  owned  Turkish  sway.  In  the  prob- 
able fall  of  the  Turkish  power  Jerusalem  may 
come  into  the  hands  of  France,  Russia,  Germany, 
or  Great  Britain ;  or  it  may  be  divided  among 
these  various  nations.  France,  Russia,  and  Ger- 
many now  own  considerable  parts  of  the  city  of 
Jerusalem  and  vicinity.  Great  changes  in  the 
near  future  are  inevitable,  but  what  the  final  re- 
sult will  be  no  prophet  may  affirm. 

Modern  Jerusalem. — Comparatively  little 
of  the  ancient  city  remains.  We  have  already 
seen  that  the  present  walls  were  built  in  1542. 
There  are  in  them  courses  of  stone  which  be- 
long to  the  ancient  walls,  and  these  may  be 
readily  distinguished.  On  Mount  Zion,  and  at 
the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  and  elsewhere 
in  the  city,  the  ancient  rock  is  readily  seen  ;  but 
the  glorious  city  of  Solomon  lies  under  the  dS- 
brisoi  not  fewer  than  seventeen  captures  and  spoli- 
ations. This  fact  throws  great  doubt  on  all  the 
sacred  places  in  Jerusalem.  If  the  city  of  New 
York  should  in  the  future  be  captured  seventeen 
times,  and  its  great  buildings  thrown  in  promiscu- 
ous heaps  on  the  streets,  no  topographer  could 
with  certainty  identify  our  present  localities.  The 
real  locations  of  ancient  places  and  events  in 
Jerusalem  are  buried  far  beneath  the  present  level 


n 


JKRUSALKM — "habitation   OF   PKACE  "    47 

of  the  city.  The  mountains  round  about^ 
city  still  remain,  but  many  of  the  valleys  have 
been  partly  filled  ;  the  streets  that  were  trodden 
by  kings  and  prophets,  and  by  Jesus  Christ  and 
Ills  apostles,  are  buried  many  feet  below  the 
streets  of  the  Jerusalem  of  to-day.  The  thought 
IS  most  impressive  that  on  some  streets  of  that 
city  Christ  bore  his  cross,  and  somewhere  in  that 
city  he  died  thereon,  bul  we  may  never  discover 
with  absolute  certainty  his  Via  Dolorosa  or  his 
Calvary. 

We  can  all  sympathize  with  Robert  Bruce 
king  of  Scotland,  in  his  vow  to  set  off  on  a  pil- 
grimage to  Jerusalem  when  freed  from  wars  at 
home,  and  who,  when  death  was  overtaking  him 
and  he  had  not  fulfilled  his  vow,  said:  "I  can- 
not  go  to  Palestine  in  person  ;  I  send  my  heart  • 
carry  it  thither  when  I  am  dead."     Jerusalem' 
will  ever  be  sacred  as  the  place  in  which  the 
greatest  scenes  on  earth  were  enacted  ;   it  will 
ever  be  sacred  as  the  symbol  of  heaven.     Heaven 
is  '  Jerusalem  the  golden ;   heaven  is  the  city 
\yhose  walls  are  jubilant  with  song ;  heaven  is 
the  Jerusalem  whose  maker  and  builder  is  God  " 
There  are  great  diflSculties  connected  with  the 
excavations  now  going   forward  in  Jerusalem. 
Sometimes  the  funds  secured   in  England  and 
America  for  this  purpose  have  been  insuflficient 
sometimes  the  narrow  and  bigoted  Turkish  gov- 
ernment has  objected  to  the  work,  and  always 
the  work  itself  is  most  diflScuIt,  as  it  is  unclean, 
imhealthful,  and  disagreeable.     We  owe  much 
to  Captains  Wilson  and  Warren,  to  I^ieutenant 


1-1  < 


J 


W' 


n 


I: 


'I 


if 


.:i 


ti' 


48 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


Condor,  to  Dr.  Edward  Robinson,  and  to  many 
others,  for  their  self-sacrificing  toils.  At  this 
moment  many  yonng  Americans,  Frenchmen, 
Germans,  Britons,  and  others,  are  engaged  in 
similar  services,  living  often  in  tombs,  sewers, 
and  otlier  ntterly  abominable  places,  and  doing 
a  heroic  work  in  the  interest  of  science  and  re- 
ligion. I  never  before  so  thoronghly  learned  to 
appreciate  the  valne  of  the  services  which  exca- 
vators are  rendering  to  the  canse  of  biblical  in- 
terpretation. These  explorers  suffer  much  from 
the  impure  condition  of  the  soil,  saturated  as  it 
is  with  the  sewage  of  ages,  and  much  from  the 
opposition  of  the  government  and  from  the  diffi- 
culties inseparable  from  the  nature  of  the  work. 
These  excavators  have  dug  down  literally  through 
several  Jerusalems.  We  have  here  one  city  piled 
on  another.  The  Jerusalem  of  to-day  is,  per- 
haps, the  seventh  or  eighth  city  built  on  this 
site. 

Did  space  permit,  it  would  be  interesting  to 
trace  the  origin,  growth,  and  destruction  of  these 
various  cities.  Every  foot  of  the  ground  is  cov- 
ered by  the  wreck  of  cities  that  once  were  the 
symbols  of  marvelous  power  and  of  wonderful 
beauty.  Great  thoughts  fill  the  soul  as  one 
■wanders  over  these  ruins  and  through  the  nar- 
row and  filthy  streets  of  modern  Jerusalem. 

It  is  said  that  the  Jerusalem  of  to-day  covers 
an  area  of  more  than  two  hundred  and  nine 
acres,  of  which  thirty-five  are  occupied  by  the 
level  on  which  the  Mosque  of  Omar  stands.  It 
consists  of  the  Christian  quarter,  the  Moham- 


/ ' 


< 


JERUSAI.EM— ''iiAniTATlON   OF   PKAC!,  " 


^_    __  49 

about  three  miles      Tl,l  •         ^"^   ^'^>'   ^'^ 

are  closerl      rii«  ^         ^       &^tes,  two  of  wind 

the  Street  of  ^h^etlSl     he  Col  S"  °A  ""-T ' 

still,  fro,„  itltlnL^ntritt  °';??;,'7:7' 

at  St.'steph?;"s  Gate      ^     "  ^°'"'""  '""'  '"■"''■^ 

PEOPI^ES  and  FatTttc        Ao  -1 

t..eare„owa|Xn\-;;fb:;:f"^^^^^^ 

s'jewis,n\;\t''ofr:^^^^^^^^^ 

dm,  or  Spanish  Jew.s;  and  ta,t,^,i  ;'■:'; 

D  ' 


l 


^5 


h  1  * 


,1 

i 

i! 
1 


50 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LI-CTURHS 


Jews  of  Ocrinaii  and  Polish  orij^in.  They  arc 
stistaiiied  larj^cly  l)y  charity.  Many  Jews,  like 
many  Christians,  ^o  to  Jerusalem  on  a  pil<^rim- 
age  of  piety.  Tlie  Rothschild  Hospital  was 
founded  in  1855.  Sir  Moses  Montehore  has 
done  much  to  encourage  the  Jews  in  lalestine 
to  become  self-supporting.  In  January,  1875,  he 
desired  that  a  proposed  testimonial  to  him  might 
take  the  form  of  a  fund  to  help  Ji  ws  in  Pales- 
tine, and  nearly  sixty  thousaiid  dollars  was  con- 
tributed in  this  way.  Although  he  was  ninety- 
two  years  old,  he  visited  Jerusalem  and  brought 
back  n\  encouraging  report  regarding  his  people. 
The  |>atriarch  of  the  Greek  Church  resides  in 
Jerusalem,  in  a  convent  beside  the  Church  of 
the  Holy  Sepulchre.  The  Armenians  number 
nearly  five  hundred  in  the  Holy  City,  and  the 
Copts  own  two  monasteries.  The  Latins  number, 
perhaps,  two  thousand  followers.  The  Church 
of  PCngland  has  a  small  school  and  church.  Lay 
German  missionaries  have  branches  of  their  mis- 
sion work  in  Jerusalem,  Bethlehem,  and  Jaffa. 
There  is  a  Good  Samaritan  Home  under  the 
direction  of  the  Deaconesses  of  Kaiserwerth. 
There  are  now  ophthalmic  and  other  hospitals, 
some  of  which  are  undi.  r  the  control  of  the 
Knights  of  St.  John.  There  are  services  under 
the  direction  of  several  of  the  Christian  denomi- 
nations, and  a  converted  Jew,  who  has  recently 
become  a  Baptist. 

We  have  thus  had  a  glimpse  of  Jerusalem,  its 
history,  its  characteristics,  its  people^  and  their 
faiths.     The  day  is  now  dawning;  we  have  fa- 


lit 


J'''«U-^'^^KM~"irARITATlON  OK   I'KACK  "    51 

niiliarized  ourselves  witli  the^7a"iid^i7hc^7T;^ 
present  co„clitio„s;    we  pass   throuTl      ^e^ 

j-iiy  mat   is  compact    toL»-ether "     a    ^1,    *        , 

but  constant  entli^isiasm^iirbeen  exp  H^cc'd 
since  first  touching  tlie  soil  of  ^'^P^"^»ced 

n  ,  The  lioly  fields, 

Oyer  whose  acres  walked  those  blessed  feet 
Wh.ch.  eighteen  hundred  years  a^rwere  nailed 
For  our  advantage  to  the  bitter  cross. 


V 


CHURCH    OF   THE    HOLY   SEPULCHRE 


i 


:i 


i» 


( 


WE  pass  tlirouj^^li  the  Jaffa  Gate,  and  follow- 
in<^  an  impulse  connnon  to  nearly  all 
pilj^rinis  and  tourists,  we  direct  our  steps  to  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  In  the  minds  of 
most  Christian  visitors  to  the  Holy  City  this  is 
the  most  sacred  spot  within  its  walls.  A  volume 
mij^ht  be  written  regarding  the  architecture,  lo- 
cation, and  history  of  this  famous  building.  It 
is  situated  in  the  Christian  quarter  of  Jerusa- 
lem, and  in  a  street  which  not  infrequently  is 
called  Palmer  Street.  The  street  is  largely  given 
up  to  the  traffic  in  bends,  or  in  wood  and  ivory 
carving,  and  a  thousand  cheap  and  inartistic 
trinkets.  Even  in  midsummer  one  will  find 
there  a  horde  of  clamorous  and  impudent  ped- 
dlers. At  the  Eastertide  this  crowd  is  much 
larger  and  still  more  clamorous,  and  through  it 
then  the  traveler  can  scarcely  force  his  way  in 
order  to  approach  the  portal  of  the  historic 
church.  On  the  pavement,  beside  the  traders  who 
are  watching  for  customers,  are  heaps  of  beads, 
shells,  and  many  kinds  of  fancy  work.  One  sees 
among  the  peddlers  Greeks,  Jews,  Armenians,  and 
Syrians.  Here  and  there  may  be  seen  women  en- 
gaged in  beseeching  tourists  to  buy  their  wares ; 
52 


i  1' 


Ciri'RCH   OF   TIIR  HOI,V  SliPUr.CItRI.         53 

especially  <lo  the  fair.face<l  women  from  HetMe' 

one  o    tlKse  pavemcnl  meiehaiits  looks  as  if  l,e 

mUlassjuUtyo„ifyou<lidm,tmakea^m^^^ 
ciiase.      I  lie  presence  of  this  crowd,  as  one  an 

nrbs  all  h,s  tenderer  emotions  and  niterly   lissi- 

lunnuled  as  he  looks  np<,n  this  motley  irronp  of 
raders,  of  those  whom  Christ  drove  on^  o  '  he 
temple  beeanse  they  deseerate.l  its  1,  ,ly  pi! 
entcts;  and  these  n.erchants  are  their  k..  in  ,tj 
descendants.  There  are  the  nsnal  nnmbc-  o  e- 
formed  crcatnres  and  bejftjars  para.ling  tld      c- 

°  to  r  'k  ■'"!  -•'•■"°-'  «PP-1  to  the'eluuty  of 
l^'^^'"":  '^'"^'i  's  t'le  sight  that  greets  the  trav- 
eler as  he  approaches  this  sacred  place 

It  IS  easy  to  see,  even  at  a  glance,  that  parts  of 

he  present  strnctnre  are  qnite  n.odern    C  the 
so.   h  portal  and  portions  of  the  old  to  vers  ad 
walls  are  said  to  be  fron,   eight      nndred  tof 
thonsand  years  old.     .Some  swt  of  cl  ,,rc     has 
donbt  ess,  been  on   this  site  or  its  vie  nTtv  Iv^r 

".tttrvVfir  n  ^r-"^'-'"-'  <"•  -"ce  th'e\h]r" 
centnrj    atter  Christ.     A   temple  of  Venns  was 

erected  at  one  time  by  the  heithen,  in  TL  "o 
show  their  contempt  of  Christianity  overVl  c  re 
PJ.ted  sneof  the  crneifixion  ;  l>„t  he  K„  press" 
Helena,  the  mother  of  Constantine,  bnilt  "  tl^ 
site  .selected,  as  the  resnlt  of  a  diWne  visio,  a 
gronp  of  .sacred  edifices.  It  wonld  .seen  tl  a  'at 
first  there  was  a  small  chapel  o^•er  each  sacre'd 


I;  .•'t 


54 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


K 


i< 


'I 


I 


r 


I 

¥ 


\v 


i 


1^; 


If: 

if 


place ;  but  now  all  these  sacred  places  are  in- 
cluded within  the  walls  of  this  heterogeneous 
building  known  as  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sep- 
ulchre, and  also  the  Auaj.tasis,  because  here 
Christ  rose  from  the  dead.  It  consists  of  differ- 
ent styles  of  architecture,  of  many  roofs,  chajDels, 
shrines,  tombs,  and  altars.  Some  of  these  belong 
to  one  sect  and  some  to  another.  It  is  said  by 
some  writers  that  there  are  now  no  fewer  than 
thirty-seven  sacred  sites  within  this  historic  en- 
closure, while  others  make  the  number  much 
greater. 

Tlic  buildings  erected  by  Constantine  in  326 
were  destroyed  by  the  Persians  when  they  took 
the  city  of  Jerusalem  in  614.  Their  king, 
Chosroes  II.,  did  all  in  his  power  to  destroy  every 
vestige  of  Christianity  ;  but  in  627  Heraclius  de- 
feated him,  and  Jerusalem  was  recovered  by  the 
Greeks.  In  936  fire  partly  destroyed  the  church, 
and  in  loio  the  Moslems  inflicted  great  damage 
upon  it ;  but  in  1055  a  church  again  arose  ':o 
commemorate  the  sacred  sites.  In  ioqq  the  cru- 
saders entered  this  church  barefooted  and  sing- 
ing songs  of  praise.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
twelfth  century  they  erected  the  present  build- 
ing ;  but  it  has  undergone  so  many  changes  as 
to  make  it  almost  another  building.  Great 
damage  was  inflicted  upon  it  by  the  Arabs  in 
1 187,  and  in  1244  the  sepulchre  was  destroyed 
by  the  Kharezmians.  Writers  on  the  history  of 
the  church  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the 
dome  of  the  sepulchre  became  insecure,  and  in 
1 7 19   it  was   restored  and  a  great   part  of  the 


,'1 

t 


CHURCH    OF  THE   HOI.Y   SKPLXCHRE 


55 

church  rebuilt.  In  1808  it  was  ahnost^^My 
bimied  ;  tlie  dome  at  that  time  fell  in  and  cruslied 
the  chape]  of  the  sepulchre,  and  large  quantities 
of  molten  lead  flowed  into  the  interior.  The 
Greeks  now  secured  the  principal  ri<dit  to  the 
buildmos,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  Armenians 
contributed  most  laro^ely  to  the  erection  of  the 
restored  church  in  1810.  An  arcb.itect  of  Con- 
stantinople desi.orncd  the  restored  church,  al- 
though traces  of  the  original  design  and  struc- 
ture still  remain. 

Is  this  really  the  place  of  our  Lord's  crucifixion, 
burial,  and  resurrection  ?    That  question  has  been 
earnestly  discussed  by  the  most  accomplished  and 
devout  biblical  scholars,  and  by  the  keenest  anti- 
quarians of  dilTereiit  ages.     The  ordinary  tourist 
cannot  enter  upon  an  exhaustive  discussion  of 
the  subject ;  the  most  that  he  can  do  is  to  avail 
lumseit  of  the  processes  and  conclusions  of  those 
who  are  qualified  to  give  authoritative  opinions. 
But  whatever  one  may  think  as  to  the  si^e  of 
Lalvary,  no  one  can  approach  a  spot  which  mil- 
lions claim  to  be  Calvary,  and  which  has  bee- 
the  object  of  pilgrimage  and  worship  for  hun- 
dreds of  years,  and  is   now  at  certain  seasons  of 
the  year  thronged  by  believing  pilgrims,  without 
protound  emotions,  tender  associations,  and  rev- 
erential desires.     Here  millions  have  worshiped 
111  simple  faith  and  with  fervent  zeal.     They  be- 
leved    that    here   our    Lord   was  crucified,  that 
here  he  Nvas  buried,  and  that  here  he  rexealed 
himself  after  his   resurrection.     We  know  that 
the  place  of  the  crucifixion  was  ''without  the 


;i 


56 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


11 


t 


I, 
I!/; 


j^ate"  ;  on  that  point  the  statements  of  Scripture 
are  clear ;  and  the  reputed  sites  of  Calvary  and 
of  th;"  sepulchre  now  stand  in  the  heart  of  the 
city.  The  question  is,  could  this  site  ever  have 
been  outside  the  walls  ?  Has  the  location  of  the 
walls  been  changed  since  the  time  of  our  Lord's 
crucifixion  ?  If  we  can  answer  that  question  in 
the  aihrmative,  then  this  may  be  the  very  spot 
where  the  cross  stood  on  Calvary,  and  this  the 
veritable  "  new  tomb  "  of  Joseph,  "  wherein  never 
man  lay  "  until  it  was  sanctified  by  the  presence 
of  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ.  How  one  longs  to 
be  absolutely  sure  that  this  is  the  actual  place  of 
the  crucifixion,  the  burial,  and  the  resurrection 
of  Christ !  Very  eminent  modern  authorities, 
among  them  Bovet,  (ianneau,  and  Warren,  have 
argued  on  topographical  grounds  for  the  genu- 
ineness of  the  traditional  site.  In  doing  this  they 
limit  unduly,  in  the  opinion  of  other  eminent 
authorities,  the  size  of  the  north  wall  for  the 
population  which  the  city  contained  in  our 
IvOrd\s  time.  Fergusson  makes  the  Dome  of  the 
Rock  the  sepulchre  of  Christ.  Sir  J.  W.  Daw- 
son and  others  claim  that  the  knoll  of  rock 
outside  the  north  wall  of  the  city,  and  covered 
M'ith  shallow  soil  and  coarse  grass,  conforms  to 
the  description  gi\en  by  the  evangelists  who 
speak  of  Ciolgotha  or  the  skull-like  place.  It  is 
doubtless  true  as,  with  many  others  who  have 
visited  this  jflace,  I  can  testify  that  this  knu.i 
suggests  the  idea  of  a  skull.  I  visited  it  several 
times  in  different  litrhts  in  order  to  ^Qt  definite 
impressions  of  the  place.     There  are  on  it  old 


(     I 


CHURCH    Gx    THE   HOLY   SEPULCHRE 


57 


tombs  which  certainly  are  not  unlike  eyes  in  the 
skull.  I  can  appreciate  what  many  observers 
have  instantly  said,  on  seeing  this  knoll,  "That 
is  Calvary."  It  is  also  affirmed  that  Jewish  tra- 
ditions show  that  this  hill  was  used  as  a  place  of 
execution  ;  and  it  is  now  used  chiefly  as  the 
place  of  IMoslem  oraves.  It  admittedly  conforms 
to  some  of  the  conditions  given  by  the  evangel- 
ists, as  it  is  near  the  city,  is  between  ancient 
roads,  and  was  in  the  vicinity  of  certain  gardens 
and  tombs.  Dr.  Selah  Merrill  and  Doctor  Chap- 
lin, who  had  rare  opportunities  of  becoming  fa- 
miliar with  the  topography  of  Jerusalem,  and 
the  late  General  Gordon,  who  had  carefully  ex- 
amined every  inch  of  the  ground,  favor  this 
knoll  as  the  genuine  Calvary. 

On  so  difficult  a  subject  as  this  it  is  not  be- 
coming the  vacation  tourist  to  speak  except  with 
great  modest)' ;  but,  contrary  to  my  usual  habit, 
I  find  myself  altogether  disposed  to  favor  the 
traditional  site.  There  are  many  facts  in  favor 
of  this  ancient  locality  as  the  place  of  the  cruci- 
fixion, burial,  and  resurrection  of  Christ.  We 
know  that  Constantine,  soon  after  his  conver- 
sion, was  anxious  to  beautify  the  Holy  City,  and 
his  mother,  the  aged  and  pious  Helena,  desired 
to  honor  the  tomb  of  Christ.  »She  visited  Jeru- 
salem and  located  the  site  which  is  still  pointed 
out  as  probably  the  true  Calvary,  We  may  dis- 
card all  the  fables  connected  with  her  adoption 
of  this  site;  it  is  certain  that  many  of  the  tradi- 
tions related,  as  to  the  manner  of  the  discovery 
of  the  sacred  sites,  are  unworthy  of  a  moment's 


58 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   IJiCTURKS 


i'. 


it 


■iV 


consideration.  Bnt  we  may  still  clin^^  to  the 
spot  selected  by  her  as  the  probable  site.  When 
Constantine  removed  the  temple  of  Venus,  he 
found  a  tomblike  cavern,  and  on  the  site,  it  is 
said,  he  erected  a  church.  It  is  positively 
affirmed  that  Eusebius,  the  threat  church  histo- 
rian, and  many  bishops  were  present  at  the  dedi- 
cation of  this  church  in  A.  d.  335.  They  all 
agreed  in  regarding-  this  as  the  true  site  of  the 
crucifixion  and  resurrection.  I  find  myself  in 
sympathy  with  the  late  Dr.  H.  C.  Fish,  in  his 
"  Bible  Lands  Illustrated,"  in  inclining  to  be- 
lieve that  this  is  the  true  site  of  Calvary  and  of 
the  tomb  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea.  We  know 
that  but  a  short  time  elapsed  after  the  death  of 
the  men  and  women  who  saw  Christ  crucified 
before  the  selection  of  this  site,  perhaps  not  more 
than  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  to  two  hun- 
dred years.  We  may  well  believe  that  the  place 
of  such  r  t''o-ust  events  w^ould  remain  for  that 
length  of  '  ne  definitely  fixed.  One  certainly 
would  like  to  believe  that  this  is  the  very  spot 
where  the  sublimest  events  of  the  world's  history 
were  enacted.  But  even  if  we  were  sure  that 
this  is  the  place,  it  is  so  changed,  so  built  over, 
and  so  associated  with  the  ignorant  and  super- 
stitious devotion  of  pilgrims,  as  to  rob  it  of  many 
of  the  tender  thoughts  which  one  would  like  to 
feel  while  gazing  on  a  spot  so  unspeakably 
sacred. 

Several  times  I  visited  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre.  The  morning  light  is  the  best  in 
which  to  see  this  ancient  and  many-roofed  struc- 


CHURCH    OF   THE    HOIA'   SKPUIXHRR         59 

ture.     At  tlie  entrance  arc  seen  snceriiiL*-  Turks 
as  the  official  wardens  of  this  holy  house.^   T'  oir 
presence,  however,  is  often  necessary  to  preserve 
peace   amon^r    the   so-called   Christian    pijorinis 
who  visit  the  church.     The  first  object  which 
arrests  the  attention  on  entering  is  the  Stone  of 
Unction.     On  this  stone,  it  is  said,  the  body  of 
Christ  was  laid  for  anointing  when  taken  down 
from  the  cross.     It  is  a  long  marble  slab  resting 
on  the   pavement  and  surrounded   by   burning 
candles._     It  is  not  the  actual  stone ;  it  is  claimed 
that  this  is  buried    beneath   the    present    slab, 
which  was  placed  here  in  iSio.     The  lamps  and 
candelabra  which  surround  the  stone  belong  to 
Armenians,  Latins,  Greeks,  and  Copts.     Alf  de- 
vout pilgrims  kneel  and  kiss  this  stone,  and  at 
certain   places   on  its  surface  grooves  are  seen 
which  have  been  made  by  tlic  lips  of  devout  pil- 
grims who,  during  the  ages,  have  been  coming 
and  kneeling  here.     This  part  of  the  church  is 
the  property  of  the  Armenians. 
_  We   next  enter   the  rotunda.     The  dome  is 
sixty-five  feet  in  diameter  and  is  open  at  the  top, 
reminding  one  of  the  magnificent  Pantheon  at 
Rome.     In    the   center  of   this    rotunda  is   the 
Holy  Sepulchre.     It  is  really  a  chapel  in  itself, 
being   twenty-six   feet    long   and   eighteen    feet 
b  oad,  and  is  built  of  marble,  with  a  long,  low 
doorway  leading  to  the  sepulchre.     This'^door- 
way  opens  into  what  might  be  called   another 
chapel,   but  which   is   only  six   by  seven  feet. 
The   guide  books   state   that    the    area  of   this 
chapel  is  but  forty-two  square  feet,  and  that  of 


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60 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


this  space  nineteen  square  feet  arc  taken  up  by 
the  marble  slab  shown  as  the  tomb  of  Christ. 
This  slab  is  cracked  in  the  center;  it  is  also 
worn  by  the  lips  of  adoring  pilgrims.  Here 
forty-three  lamps  are  always  burninjr;  four  of 
these  lamps  belong  to  the  Copts,  and  thirteen 
each  to  the  Christians,  Latins,  and  Armenians. 
This  little  chapel  is  cased  with  marble  through- 
out, and  thus  the  original  rock  is  nowhere  visi- 
ble. This  is  in  many  ways  the  most  remark- 
able and  altogether  the  place  of  most  tender 
memo'ies  in  the  world.  No  man  can  indiffer- 
ently enter  this  sacred  place  nor  witness  the 
passionate  devotion  of  the  pilgrims  whom  he 
here  sccs.  He  must  be  more  or  less  than  man 
if  some  degree  of  tenderness  be  not  in  his  heart 
as  he  stands  beside  the  reputed  tomb  of  the 
Lord.  Becomingly  do  all  pass  out  with  their 
faces  toward  the  tomb. 

Nortn  of  the  sepulchre  w^e  see  the  stone  where 
it  is  claimed  that  Jesus  stood  when  he  said, 
"Woman,  why  weepest  thou?"  Then  comes 
the  Chapel  of  the  Apparition  where  our  Lord 
appeared  to  Mary;  there  is  also  the  Chapel 
of  the  Division  of  the  Vestments,  We  then 
descend  twenty-nine  steps  and  reach  the  Chapel 
of  Helena;  then  we  visit  the  Chapel  of  the 
Finding  of  the  Cross,  the  Chapel  of  the  Crown 
of  Thorns,  the  column  marking,  as  it  is  affirmed, 
the  center  of  the  earth,  from  which  spot,  accord- 
ing to  tradition,  came  the  earth  from  which 
Adam  was  made.  Going  up  eighteen  steps,  we 
reach  Calvary ;  a  long  rent  is  here  shown  in  the 


(i    : 


f 


CHURCH    OK   THK    HOI.Y   SIvPUJUCHRK         6l 


rock,  which  is  said  to  have  been  made  at  the 
time  of  the  crucifixion.  But  one  cannot  sup- 
press the  feelino-s  of  doubt  whicli  obtrude  them- 
selves reorardin<r  all  these  reputed  sites. 

Worthless   traditions   blend   with   the   holiest 
emotions  and  tlie  subliniest  facts  at  tb-   Cliurch 
of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  but  probably  there  is  no 
imposition  so  utterly  abominable   as   that  con- 
nected with  the  so-called  "Holy  Fire."     In  one 
of  the  walls  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  there  is  a 
hole  througli  which  it  is  said  the  holy  fire  comes 
On  Easter  Eve,  thousands  of  (ireek  worsliii)ers 
assemble  from  all  parts  of  the  world  to  witness 
this  gross  imposition,  certainly  one  of  the  oross- 
est   which   ever  disgraced   the  Christian   name. 
In  earlier  centuries  the  Roman  Church  partici- 
pated in  this  impostnre,  but  since  the  sixteenth 
century  it  has  been  too  great  an  imposture  even 
for  supei;stitious  Romanists.     The   patriarch  of 
tic  (^reek  Church  alone  enters  the   sepulchre- 
the    people    stand   outside,  waiting   with    bated 
breath  for  the  advent  of  tlie  holv  fire.     All  for  a 
time  IS  hushed   in  the  sacred  building.     Many 
pilgrims  wait  for  weary  hours  near  the  hole  so 
as  to  be  among  the  first  to  receive  the  sacred 
fire.     Sometimes  they  even  iiave  themselves  tied 
fo  stationary  objects   in    the  vicinity  that  they 
may  iio|:  be  puslied  away  when  the  hour  for  tlie 
exhibition  shall  arrive.     It  is  a  thrilling  moment 
for  the  Ignorant  and  superstitious  pilgrims     The 
patriarch    claims    that    the   fire    descends    from 
heaven.     The   excitement    reaches    its    InVrhest 
pitch  when  the  patriarch  passes  the  fire  throuoh 


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SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURKJ5 


the  hole ;  burning-  tapers  are  then  handed  the 
priest,  and  the  pilgrims  rush  to  have  their  tapers 
kindled  at  the  sacred  flame.  Large  sums  of 
money,  it  is  said,  are  paid  to  the  priests  that 
they  may  light  the  candles  of  pilgrims  first  after 
the  sacred  fire  has  appeared.  Soon  the  whole 
church  is  illumined  as  the  lighted  tapers  multi- 
ply and  are  borne  away  from  the  sacred  spot. 
Fierce  fights  often  occur  here.  In  1834  the 
seething  crowd  fought  with  one  another  in  the 
utmost  desperation  and  fanaticism.  They  tram- 
pled over  one  another  until  finally  the  guards 
interfered,  and  soon  the  dead  and  dying  were 
lying  in  heaps,  even  on  the  stone  of  unction. 
This  abominable  practice  ought  to  be  suppreSvSed 
by  the  authorities  of  the  Greek  Church. 

The  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  is  the 
joint  property  of  the  Greeks,  the  Latins,  the  Ar- 
menians, and  the  Copts,  but  the  Greeks  have  the 
largest  share  of  its  space  and  in  its  services.  As 
already  intimated,  the  church  is  really  a  group 
of  heterogeneous  buildings.  It  occupies  between 
two  and  three  acres ;  and,  according  to  some 
classifications,  includes  seventy  sacred  places ; 
others  make  the  number  but  tliirty-seven,  as  al- 
ready stated.  All  depends  upon  the  principle 
of  classification  which  the  enumerator  observes. 
]{ach  one  of  the  sects  named  takes  its  turn  in 
visiting  the  sacred  shrines  and  in  conducting 
services.  The  Church  of  England  has  made  va- 
rious efforts  to  secure  an  mUnr,  but  no  very  satis- 
factor>'  arrangements  have  yet  ^^en  mad<'. 

A  few  lessons  suggest  themsel  es  as  one  turns 


I 


CHURCH   OF  THK   nOI.Y  SKPULCIIRK         63 


The  visitor 


away  from  this  remarkable  church, 
is  grieved  at  the  pitiable  superstitions  of  uiau> 
of  the  (ireek,  Roman,  Armenian,  and  other  pil- 
grims. Tlie  heathenism  of  distinctively  heathen 
countries  could  scarcely  be  more  heathenish  than 
are  the  practices  of  many  pilgrims  in  the  Church 
of  the  Holy  vSepulchre.  One's  heart  aches  as  he 
gazes  upon  their  acts  so  marked  by  ignorance 
and  dotard  superstitions.  But  through  all  these 
offensive  sights  the  devout  and  intelligent  visitor 
lays  hold  of  the  tremendous  realities  which  oc- 
curred here,  or  elsewhere  in  the  neighborhood. 
Wliat  marvelous  thoughts  fill  the  mind  as  one 
thinks  of  the  crucifixion,  burial,  and  resurrection 
of  the  Son  of  God  !  Properly  distinguishing 
between  history  and  tradition,  it  is  easy  to  see 
how  the  Holy  Land  confirms  the  holy  book  and 
how  real  the  earthly  life  of  Jesus  Christ  was, 
and  may  still  become,  to  the  intelligent  and  de- 
vout pilgrim  to  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre. 


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VI 


THE   MOSQUE   OK  OMAR 

hasten  at  this  time  to  the  Great  Al- 
tar Mountain,  Mount  Moriah,  to  the 
site  of  Solomon's  Temple;  tlie  Harani  Area,  the 
Mosque  of  Omar,  the  Dome  oi  tlic  Rock,  or  Kub- 
bet  es-Sukhrah.  Perhaps  there  is  no  spot  on  tliis 
j^lobe  which  appeals  more  powerfully  to  the  his- 
toric ima<^ination  than  does  this  altar  mountain, 
as  it  has  been  called.  It  is  the  symbol  of  faith 
in  one  God  as  aj^ainst  the  many  lords  of 
heathen  religions.  On  the  bmw  of  this  rocky 
summit,  Jew,  Christian,  and  Mo.  m  alike  may 
honestly  and  devoutly  worship.  All  of  th^-m  be- 
lieve that  here  the  veil  which  shrouds  the  in- 
visible world  has  been  drawn  aside  and  the 
glory  of  the  invisible  God  has  often  been  sub- 
limely revealed.  Here  now  stands  the  Mosque 
of  Omar,  probably  upon  tbe  summit  of  Mount 
INIoriah,  perhaps  on  the  very  spot  where  Oman 
had  his  threshing-floor.  It  was  here,  according 
to  the  oral  tradition  of  centuries,  that  Abraham 
laid  the  v.'ood  in  order  for  the  contemplated  sacri- 
fice of  his  son  Isaac. 

Attention  has  often  been  called  to  the  fact  that 
Abraham  was  the  common  ancestor  of  all  the 
Arabian  tribes.     He  is  still  held  in  high  honor 
64 


I 


THE   MOSQUK   OF   OMAR 


05 


1 


by  these  trihes,  however  bitter  their  hatreds  in 
other  respects  may  be.  It  was  here  that  David 
saw  tile  aiio,  1  standing  bet  een  earth  and  heaven 
with  a  draw  n  sword  in  his  hand  stretched  ont 
over  JernsaleiM.  Here  it  was  that  David  inter- 
ceded for  the  plague-stricken  people.  Here  it 
was  thai  later  the  glorious  temple  of  Solomon 
stood  ;  here  it  was  believed  dwelt,  at  least  for 
the  four  hundred  and  twenty-eight  years  of  the 
fust  temple,  the  shadow  uf  the  cloud  and  the 
glory  of  the  Shekinah  ;  and  here  came  the  tribes 
111  a  grateful  celebration  of  God's  wonderful 
blessings  to  Israel.  To  this  spot  the  hearts  of 
Jev.s  oppressed  in  every  land  turned  with  hope 
joy,  and  supplication.  ' 

One  cannot  stand  before  the  IMosque  of  Omar 
with  Its  many  colored  marbles  glistening  in  the 
sunlight,  as  once  "the  goodly  stones  of  the  tem- 
ple    shone  before  the  eyes  of  the  disciples,  with- 
out  emotions  of  wonder  and  tenderness.     One's 
thoughts  rush  back  to  the  time  when  the  temple 
here  stood  in  all  its  dazzling  splendor;  back  to 
the  times  of  the  patriarchs,  back   to    the  very 
dawn  of_  human   history.     One  sees  again   the 
tribes  going  up  from  all  parts  of  the  land  ;  again 
their  ;'  songs  of  degrees  "  are  heard  as  they  re- 
joice in  God  and  glorify  Israel.     This  was  the 
very  heart  of  the  religious  life  of  the  Hebrew 
people  ;  it  was  the  inspiration  of  prophecv    the 
theme  of  poetry,  and  the  center  of  national  hope 
and  joy.     Memories  of  Israel's  disobedience   de- 
feats, and  manifold  disasters  crowd    the  mind 
Visions  of  God's  ancient  people  imprisoned  and 

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SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


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exiled  among  their  heathen  captors,  who  deso- 
lated and  destroyed  the  holy  places,  pass  vividly 
before  the  niiid.  Other  pictures,  also,  are  pres- 
ent ;  we  see  God's  people  turning  away  from 
their  sins,  coming  back  to  God  with  breaking 
hearts,  and  turning  their  tearful  eyes  once  more 
to  this  sacred  place.  It  was  here  too,  that  to  the 
priest  Zacharias,  at  what  was  called  the  Feast 
of  Lights,  in  the  thirty-fifth  year  of  Herod  the 
Great,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared,  standing 
on  the  right  side  of  the  altar  of  incense,  and  to 
this  priest  came  the  promise  of  the  birth  of  John 
the  Baptist.  Here  too,  the  babe  Jesus  was  pre- 
sented at  the  appropriate  time,  and  Simeon 
uttered  his  Nunc  Dimittis.  Here  later,  within 
one  of  the  many  chambers  of  the  great  build- 
ing, sat  the  marvelous  child  in  the  midst  of 
the  doct-rs,  both  hearing  them  and  asking 
questions.  Here,  as  Dr.  Fish  has  reminded 
us,  twenty  years  later,  the  Son  of  God  walked 
under  the  royal  porches  in  the  winter  at  tlie  feast 
of  the  dedication  ;  here  he  lifted  up  his  voice  in 
warning,  instruction,  and  benediction  ;  and  from 
these  sacred  precincts,  during  the  last  days  of  his 
ear*;hly  life,  he  drove  out  the  traders  who  dese- 
crated his  Father's  house.  And  here,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  IMoslems,  who  are  the  present 
guardians  of  this  sanctuary,  the  great  Arabian 
prophet  l^.Iohammed,  took  his  flight  from  the 
earth  to  the  flowery  paradise  so  vividly  described 
by  the  teachers  of  the  IMohammedan  faith.  There 
is  little  doubt  that  Mount  Moriah  is  identical 
with  this  present  temple  area,  now  known  as 


THE    MOSQUE   OK   OMAR 


67 


the  Haram  esh-Sherif,  or  the  Noble  Sanctuary. 
Ahnost  every  inch  of  ground  in  this  sacred  en- 
closure has  been  the  subject  of  earnest  topo- 
graphical scrutiny,  historic  research,  and  vigor- 
ous controversy.  The  Exploration  Fund  has 
given  earnest  students  the  opportunity  of  clear- 
ing up  many  disputed  points,  and  has  opened  the 
way  for  the  removal,  in  the  near  future,  of  many 
present  difficulties.  Biblical  and  scientific  stu- 
dents now  in  larger  numbers  than  e\er  before, 
visit  the  Holy  Land.  The  government  is  dis- 
posed to  be  somewhat  more  liberal  in  removing 
obstructions  than  was  formerly  the  case,  and  we 
may  well  expect  that  before  many  decades  shall 
pass,  still  greater  liberty  will  be  given  to  scien- 
tific exploration,  until  finally  all  that  scholarship 
can  do  to  identify  ancient  sites  will  have  been 
accomplished. 

The  temple  area  is  quadrangular  in  shape  ;  it 
occupies  thirty-five  acres,  or  nearly  one-quarter 
of  the  whole  city  of  Jerusalem.  It  is  two  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  valley  of  the  Kedron.  We 
know  that  Solomon  leveled  the  space  for  his 
great  temple  and  its  oth,-r  buildings;  and  this 
work  he  performed  at  enormous  cost  in  labor  and 
money.  On  the  west,  the  wall  which  surrounds 
this  space  is  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  one 
feet  long ;  on  the  east,  one  thousand  five  hun- 
dred and  thirty  feet  ;  on  the  north,  one  thousand 
and  twenty-four  feet ;  and  on  the  south,  nine  hun- 
dred and  twenty-two  feet.  This  sacred  enclosure 
is  entered  by  eight  gates  on  the  west,  the  princi- 
pal one  being  known  as  the  Gate  of  the  Chain. 


r  . 


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SUNDAY   NIGHT  LECTURKS 


Entering  by  this  gate  we  have  on  the  right  the 
bnikling  known  as  the  Mosqne  el  \ksa,  in  the 
enclosure  of  which  there  is  much  green  grass, 
while  olive  and  cypress  tree-^  are  also  found. 
There  are  likewise  marble  fountains  and  the 
broad  platform  is  surrounded  b>  arches,  by  pul- 
pits, prayer  niches,  and  cupolas,  and  there  before 
us  rises  the  great  mosque,  glittering  in  the  flood 
of  sunshine  which  bathes  the  summit  of  this  his- 
toric mountain  in  heavenly  splendor.  A  truly 
glorious  picture  is  before  us.  Its  chief  attraction 
is  its  great  central  figure,  the  magnificent  Kub- 
bet  es-Suklirah,  or  Dome  of  the  Rock.  This 
building  is  generally  supposed  to  have  been 
erected  by  Omar,  and  so  is  called  by  his  name ; 
but  some  authorities  believe  that  the  title  belongs 
to  a  much  smaller  and  less  important  building 
which  contains  the  Mihrab,  or  prayer  niche,  of 
the  celebrated  Caliph.  But  perhaps  Omar  did 
realJy  erect  this  magnificent  structure.  Tradi- 
tion tells  us  that  when  he  took  Jerusalem  his 
first  inquiry  was  for  the  site  of  the  temple,  that 
he  was  guided  to  the  traditional  spot  which  was 
then  covered  by  mounds  of  rubbish,  and  that  he 
there  built  the  Mosque  which  bears  his  name. 
Some,  however,  afiirm  that  it  was  built  by  Abd- 
el-Melek,  in  tlie  year  of  our  Lord  696.  Perhaps 
no  amount  of  historic  investigation  will  be  able, 
for  many  years  at  least,  to  settle  these  disputed 
affirmations  with  any  certainty.  The  time,  how- 
ever, will  come,  we  may  assume,  when  the  efforts 
of  all  these  students  will  be  rewarded  with  sub- 
stantial agreement  regarding  historic  facts. 


I 


THE   MOSQUE  OF  OMAR  gg 

It  is  necessary  to  secure  permits  before  one 

excem  on    I,  "'"''  '""  ""  ""™"^;  ^"'  "°^. 

can  be  readily  obtained.  Tiie  consul  of  the 
country  to  which  the  traveler  belongs  he  beW 

tonristt  rfri  'd""";';'°"  f-^e  is  small  and  the 
tonrists  dragoman  will  attend  to  all  details  is 
wel   as  pointing  out,  perhaps  with  thetelp  of  a 

entering  the  building  one  can  study  with  profit 
Its  superb  dome,  which  seems  to  float  i  if  The 

It  IS  one  of  the  most  notable  objects  in  Tern- 
Mount 'o?nr  '°°'^^  r  ,"P°"  «'^  ^"y  f-""'"e 

JMount  of  Ohves.     As  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's 
seems  to  hang  in  tlie  heavens  over  the  grea 
chnrch  and  to  some  degree  over  Rome,  sothl 
dome  of  the  Mosque  of  Omar  seems  to  hanV  ^ 
Ae  sky  over  the  mosque  and  over  Jerusafem 
This  interesting  effect  is  produced  by  a  sliX 
draw;ing  m  of  the  dome  at  its  base,  which  the 
architect  has   managed   with  remarkable    k  IK 
If  the  drawing-in  had  been  too  great,  the  effec 
of  inseenrity  would  have  been  produced  ;  it  not 

hi^tw,""^- ' "'"  f  PP^^^«"«  of  the  dome  is  float- 
ing in  the  air  could  not  have  beer,  attained.  The 
buildmg  IS  eight-sided  and  eaci,  side  measures 
sixty-seven  feet.  The  dome  is  surmounted  by  a 
gilt  crescent,  and  the  lower  part  of  the  wall  is  of 

tTrns"'  t1"''^  '""'''^^  =?"^"S«'  '"  -'ri°-  P^t! 
terns.     The  upper  part  is  pierced  with  fifty-six 


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SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


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pointed  windows.  The  piers  which  separate  the 
windows  are  covered  with  tiles  of  brigiit  colors, 
and  the  glass  in  the  windows  is  nnnsnally  rich 
and  brilliant.  The  diameter  of  the  interior  is  one 
hnndred  and  forty-eight  feet,  while  it  is  encircled 
with  Arabic  inscriptions.  There  are  sixteen 
marble  Corinthian  colnmns,  connected  above  by 
a  horizontal  architrave  nnder  pointed  arches. 
The  walls  are  ornamented  in  gilt  stncco  in  the 
Arabesqne  style,  and  the  pavement  is  of  marble 
mosaic.  The  Sacred  Rock,  innnediately  beneath 
the  great  dome,  is  of  irrcgnlar  shape,  and  abont 
sixty  feet  long  and  fifty  feet  wide.  Captain 
Wilson  is  qnoted  as  saying  that  it  "  stands  abont 
fonr  feet  nine  and  a  half  inches  above  the  mar- 
ble pavement  at  its  highest  point  and  one  foot 
at  its  lowest."  The  snrface  bears  the  marks  of 
rongh  chiseling;  on  the  west  side  it  is  cut  down 
in  three  steps,  the  object  of  which  i,;  still  a  matter 
of  doubt.  Beneath  the  rock  is  a  vast  tank  which, 
perhaps,  was  used  as  the  cesspool  of  the  great 
altar  of  the  early  time,  if,  as  is  supposed,  it  was 
intended  that  the  blood  of  the  victims  should  be 
carried  off  through  the  drain  connected  with 
this  pool. 

Many  legends  hang  about  this  rock,  legends 
Jewish,  Christian,  and  Moslem.  According  to 
the  Jews,  jMelchisedec  here  offered  sacrifices ; 
here  Abraham  contemplated  offering  Isaac,  and 
here  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  stood ;  and  here  it 
is  said  the  unutterable  name  of  God  was  written. 
]\Ioslem  traditions  rival  the  Jewish  as  connected 
with   this   historic   rock.     The   legend   is   that 


i 


run  MOSQUE  of  omar  71 

when   Moliaiiimed  ascended   to  Iicavcn    on   his 
horse  Kl-Bnrak,  the  rock  wanted  to  follow  him. 
It  started  to  ascend  witli  its  master,  but  the  an-d 
Gabriel  rushed  in,  seized  the  rock  and  restored 
It  to  Its  place.     Surely  no  one  can  doubt  the 
truth  of  this  lejrend,  for  there  on  the  rock  still 
are  shown  the  prints  of  Ckibriel's  fmcrers  when 
he  seized  it  in  its  ambitious  flight !     What  evi- 
dence stronger  than  this  can  be  desired  as  to  the 
truth  of  this  legend?     Since  that  day  the  rock 
has  been  suspended  in  the  air;  it  is  true  that  you 
cannot  see  it  so  suspended,  but  it  is  to  be  borne  in 
mind  that  its  suspension,  according  to  the  lecrend 
of  the  local  guides,  gave  such  alarm  to  visftors 
especially  to  women,  that  an  appearance  of  so- 
lidity had  to  be  given  it  by  the  erection  of  a  wall 
But  that  It  IS  still  suspended  is  evident  from  the 
hollow  sounds  which  come  from  the  wall  placed 
there  to  quiet  the  fears  of  the  pilgrims ! 
^    In  the  cave  below  the  rock  are  seen  the  pray- 
ing places  of  Abraham,  David,  Mohammed   and 
others.     Here  in  the  floor  is  the  slab  which  cov- 
ers the  Well  of  Spirits ;  here  the  spirits  are  con- 
fined, and  thence  they  will  be  brought  up  bv  the 
hair  of  their  heads  when  the  dav  of  judcrincnt 
conies.     Many  other  places  the  guide  poiiUs  out 
as  sacred  in  the  mosque.     Here  is  the  shield  of 
Mohammed's  uncle ;    here  the  footprint  of   Mo- 
hammed himself;  here  are  hairs  from  his  beard- 
and  here  especially  is  the  slab  with  three  and  a 
half  nails  still  remaining  in  it.     The  guide  de- 
voutly tells  you  that  once  there  were  nineteen 
nails,  but  the  devil  knocked  all  of  them  but  three 


]i 


72 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURKS 


,  I 

./  *  ' 

'  i 

i 

Jt  ', 

I  i 


and  a  half  into  the  stone,  and  when  these  disap- 
pear the  end  of  the  world  will  certainly  come. 
After  imparting  this  interesting  piece  of  infor- 
mation, and  giving  this  exhibition  of  hopelessly 
blind  superstition,  the  gr.ide  expects  the  tourist 
to  place  a  generous  amoui  .  of  coin  on  the  slab. 
The  guide  takes  the  coin  and  rewards  the  tourist 
by  assuring  him  that  his  chances  now  are  much 
better  when  the  devil  knocks  in  the  remaining 
nails,  because  of  the  generous  gift  laid  upon  the 
stone.  Beneath  the  temple  platform  are  great 
substructures,  arche§,  and  pillars.  These  are 
truly  wonderful.  This  part  is  called  Solomon's 
Stables,  and  of  these  fuller  mention  will  be  made 
later.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  temple 
was  built  by  Solomon,  next  by  Zcrubbabel,  and 
extensively  repaired  by  Herod  the  Great.  The 
entire  space  covered  by  Herod's  Temple  was 
about  nineteen  acres,  or  a  little  more  than  one 
half  of  the  present  temple  area. 

The  structure  near  the  entrance  of  the  mosque 
is  said  to  be  the  model  of  the  Mosque  of  Omar. 
It  was  called  the  Tribunal  of  David,  the  Dome 
of  the  Chain,  or  Kubbet  es-Silsileh.  The  tradi- 
tion is  that  a  chain  which  was  suspended  from 
heaven  hung  over  this  spot,  and  when  two  dispu- 
tants could  not  settle  a  quarrel,  the  chain  moved 
to  the  one  who  had  right  on  his  side.  If  a  wit- 
ness in  a  trial  could  grasp  the  chain  his  testi- 
mony was  true,  but  if  a  link  broke  off  it  was 
certain  that  the  witness  was  a  perjurer.  These 
legends  are  believed  without  question  by  many 
Mohammedans  to  this  hour. 


THE   MOSQUE   OF   OMAR 


PI 


7i 

Mosque  KL-Aksa.— Tliis  building  is  frencrallv 
behoved  to  be  identical  with  the  church  erected 
by  the  Kiiipcror  Justinian,  and  converted  from  a 
church  into  a  mosque.     Others,  however,  claim 
that   Its   structure   is   entirely  Arabic,   a  claim 
which  does  not  seem  to  be  well  founded.     It  cer- 
tainly seems  to  have  been  erected  as  a  church 
and  to  have  been  chan«rcd  to  suit  its  present  use 
as   a   mosque.     Here   are    shown    the   so-called 
tombs  of  the  sons  of  Aaron,  but  it  is  much  more 
likely  that  the  stone   slab   pointed  out  on    the 
pavement  marks  the  grave  of  some  conspicuous 
Knicrhts  Templar.   The  fine  pulpit,  so  exquisitely 
carved  and  inlaid  with  ivory  and  mother-of-pearl 
will  at  once  attract  attention.     It  was  made  at 
Damascus,    from   cedar   of   Lebanon.      Here   is 
pointed  out  the  praying-place  of   Moses;   here 
also  are  two  pillars  very  dose  together,  between 
which  formerly  tourists  were  permitted  to  pass, 
If  their  size  did  not  prevent.  Those  who  squeezed 
through  were  sure  of  a  place  in  the  Mohamme- 
dan paradise,  but  those  who  failed  could  only 
look  forward  with  great  doubt  to  that  possibility. 
Now,  however,  iron  spikes  and  bands  have  been 
so  arranged   that   the   infidel   Christian   cannot 
ev^en    make   the   attempt   to   pass   between  the 
pillars. 

In  this  mosque  also  is  the  Well  of  the  Leaf, 
with  Its  strange  legend.  To  it  a  worshiper  went 
to  draw  water,  his  bucket  slipped  from  his  hands, 
and  he  went  into  the  well  after  the  bucket.  To 
his  great  surprise  he  reached  a  door  which  opened 
and  admitted  him  into  a  perfect  paradise.    There 


wr 


I 


M 


74 


SUNDAY    NIC.  I  IT    I.HCTURKS 


//' 


5 


rl  ■ 


lie  wandered  for  some  time  and  plnckcd  a  leaf 
which  he  carried  back  witli  him  to  the  world. 
This  leaf  never  withered,  bnt  no  one  has  since 
been  able  to  find  the  door  leadinj^  to  this  match- 
less garden.  This  door  the  Moslems  believe 
leads  into  paradise. 

The  Cradlk  ok  Christ. — We  leave  the 
mosqne  by  the  eastern  door,  where  we  lay  aside 
onr  slippers.  We  proceed  to  the  sontheast  corner 
of  the  Haram,  and  descend  thirty-two  steps  to 
the  so-called  cradle  of  Christ.  This  is  a  small 
chamber  to  which  many  legends  are  attached. 
Here,  it  is  claimed  that  Simeon  and  the  V^irgin 
dwelt  for  a  time,  and  that  to  this  chamber  Christ 
was  bronght  for  the  rite  of  circnmcision. 

We  next  descend  to  Solomon's  Stables.  This 
is  a  vast  snccession  of  pillared  and  vanltcd  vistas. 
All  gnides  call  attention  to  the  l)eveled  stones, 
which  are  snpposed  to  be  characteristic  of  the 
bnilders  of  the  first  temple.  It  is  true  that  others 
think  they  may  be  bnt  an  imitation  of  the  earlier 
stones.  Very  much  has  been  written  on  these 
stables.  The  recent  volume,  entitled  "  Recent 
Discoveries  on  the  Temple  Hill,"  by  Rev.  James 
King,  M.  A.,  is  worthy  of  careful  study.  He  has 
given  us  the  very  latest  results  of  the  most  care- 
ful investigation  connected  with  this  interesting 
structure.  It  was  especially  interesting  to  me  as 
showing  iio-w  the  valleys  were  raised  so  as  to 
form  the  vast  temple  platform.  That  fact  had 
never  before  been  made  plain  to  my  mind.  It 
is  a  matter  of   comparatively  little  importance 


\\ 


i 


THE   MOSQl'K   OF  OMAR  75 

whether  these  were  really  Solomoirs  stables  or 
not.     We  are  told  in  i  Kiii^^s  4  :  26,  that  ''Solo- 
inon  had  forty  thousand  stalls  of  liorses  for  liis 
chariots.''    His  palace  may  have  bctn  somewhere 
in  this  vicinity,  and  ^^rotloes,  or  artificial  strnc- 
tnres  somewhat  similar  to  these  now  shown,  may 
have  been  used  by  him  as  stables.     It  is  certain 
however,  that  tlie  Knights  Templar  nsed  these 
great   colonnades   as   stables,  and   the  rin^^s  to 
which  their  horses  were  attached  are  still  shown 
As  we  einerj.e  from  the  stables  of   Solomon 
there  opens   before  ns  a  view  of   the  valley  of 
Jehoshaphat.     It  is  a  mass  of  graves,  containing 
the  dead  of  many  generations.     All  devout  Tews 
desire  to  be  buried  in  this  valley.     They  believe 
that  the  Messiah  will  come  here,   in  harmony 
with  the  prophecy  of  Joel  3  :  2.     Here  also  a 
view  IS  obtained  of  Absalom's  Pillar,  the  Monnt 
of  Ohves,  the  garden  of  Oethsemane,  and  other 
interesting  places  in  the  vicinitv.     Moslem  tra- 
dition affirms  that  IMohammed,  when   he  comes 
to  judge  the  world,  will  sit  on  the  wall  beside 
the  spot  on  which  we  stand,  that  a  wire  fine  as 
a  hair  will  be  attached  to  this  broken  column 
protruding  from  the  wall  near  by,  and  will  be 
stretched  across  to  the  IMount  of  Olives.      All 
men  must  attempt  to  pass  over  this  cord  ;  those 
who  have  sins  will  fall  into  perdition  ;  but  angels 
will  carry  the  just  in  safety  to  the  Mount  of  Olives 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  vallcv.     Near  here  is 
seen  the  so-called  throne  of  Solomon  ;  here  also 
are  many  prayer  niches,  and  a  famous   marble 
fountain  called  El  Kas,  or  the  Cup.     Beneath 


w^ 


i 


'!.   .. 


); 


(  ' 


i' 


76 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LICCTURES 


tliis  fountian,  it  is  said  there  are  vast  reservoirs 
into  which  tlie  water  from  the  distant  pools  of 
vSolomon  once  flowed.  Perhaps  it  was  here  that 
the  brazen  lavcr  of  Solomon  was  placed. 

Wonderful  thonj^hts  crowd  the  mind  in  the 
midst  of  these  historic  scenes.  One  is  impressed 
with  the  fact  that  legend  and  truth  are  intermin- 
gled. They  must  be  sharply  separated  in  order 
that  one's  visit  may  be  made  profitable.  A 
further  impression  is  that  the  statements  of  the 
Bible  are  constantly  confirmed  by  the  remains  of 
the  ancient  time  which  mark  this  temple  area, 
(lod's  word  is  constantly  corroborated  by  the 
monuments  of  the  ancient  day  which  still  re- 
main. The  church  of  Jesus  Christ  must  stand 
when  every  vestige  of  tradition  shall  have  passed 
away.  From  hoary  rock  and  crumbling  ruin 
witnesses  are  constantly  rising  to  prove  the  truth 
of  our  Lord's  words  in  Matt.  5  :  18  :  "  For  verily 
I  say  unto  you,  till  heaven  and  earth  pass,  one 
jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the 
law,  till  all  be  fulfilled." 


(' 


VII 


VARIOUS   INTERESTING   PLACES— JAFFA   GATE 

FREQUENT    reference    has    been  made   in 
these  lectures  to  the  Jaffa  Gate.     It  is  close 
to  the   tower,    or  castle,  of   David.     It   is   the 
gate  through  which  those  who   come  to   Jeru- 
salem from  Jaffa   naturally  first  enter.     In   this 
gate  there  is  an  illustration  of   IMatt.  19  :  24 : 
"  It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  the  eye 
of  a  needle,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God."     It  is  believed  by  many  that 
the  reference  to  the  greater  ease  with  which  a 
camel  could  go  through  the  eye  of  a  needle  than 
a  rich  man,  who  trusts  in  his  riches,  should  enter 
heaven,  is  because  of  the  small  gate  which  one 
finds  in  the  large  gate  known  as  the  Jaffa  Gate. 
It  IS  certain  that  this  small  opening  is  still  called 
the  "  Needle's  Eye."     This  form  of  structure  is 
common  both  in  Palestine  and  in  Egypt.     At 
nightfall  the  Jaffa  Gate,  like  the  other  gates  in 
Jerusalem,  and  in  many  other  Oriental  cities,  is 
closed.     Laden  animals  must,  therefore,  remain 
outside  the  gate  until  morning ;  but  often  small 
camels  and  donkeys,  lest  they  should  be  stolen 
by  the  Arabs,  are  passed  through  the  small  gate 
or  Needle's  Eye,  after  their  loads  are  removed! 
A  large  animal,  or  even  a  comparatively  small 


■'^  • 


■  '  'i' 
^'   I- 


I'  ^■ 


hi 


r' 


>  I 


r!i 


"'  / 


78 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    LECTURES 


one,  laden  as  these  animals  often  are,  could  not 
pass  through  the  gate ;  but  a  small  animal 
stripped  and  crouching  can  squeeze  through. 
So  while  the  rich  man  laden  with  his  wealth, 
and  f'e  hypocrite  inflated  with  pride  and 
self-rig.  teousnrss  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  the  man  who  humbles  himself,  stripping 
himself  of  the  world  and  of  self-righteousness, 
and  becoming  as  ;  little  child,  can  enter  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  There  is,  of  course,  some 
doubt  as  to  whether  the  language  used  by  our 
Lord  in  the  passage  quoted  was  suggested  by  the 
name  then  given  to  tlie  smaller  gate  in  the  larger 
gate,  or  whether  the  name  now  given  to  the 
smaller  gate  was  suggested  by  the  language  of 
the  Lord  in  the  passage  to  which  reference  has 
been  made.  Different  writers,  travelers,  and 
commentators  will  take  different  views  as  to  the 
origin  of  the  name.  Some  will  claim  the  one, 
others  the  other.  But  whichever  position  we 
may  take  regarding  the  origin  of  the  name,  it  is 
deeply  interesting  that  the  gates  of  Oriental  cities 
in  these  modern  days  should  gi\e  so  striking  an 
illustration  of  the  truth  taught  by  Christ  regard- 
ing entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

The  Tower  of  David.* — We  enter  Jerusa- 
lem again  at  the  Jaffa  Gate,  and  immediately 
before  us  there  is  an  open  space  in  which  a  fair 
is  always  in  progress.  On  our  left  is  a  line  of 
shops  in  which  the  chaffering  usual  among  all 

1  2  Sam.  5  :  6,  7. 


VARIOUS  INTKRKSTING  PLACES 


79 


Oriental  peoples  is  vigorously  carried  on.     Time 
IS  an  element  of  comparatively  little  importance 
either  for  seller  or  buyer.     Over  an  article  cost- 
ing but  a  few  cents  tliere  will  be  more  loud  and 
meaningless  talk  than  a  visitor  from  the  Occident 
can    well   conceive.     The   intending   purchaser 
turns  away  in  disgust  at  the  price  asked  ;  but  the 
intending  seller  is  not  alarmed.     Each  knows 
that  the  other  is  not  in  earnest ;  neither  deceives 
the  other.     But  they  will  keep  up  the  farce  often 
for  hours  before  a  purchase  is  made.     A  self- 
respecting  purchaser  from  other  lands  will  often 
go  v/ithout  what  he  wants  ratiier  than  chaffer  in 
this  way.     On  our  right  is  the  tower  of  David, 
on   JMount  Zion.     This  was  called  by  Josephus 
the  tower  of  Hippicus ;   it  formed  part  of  the 
citadel,  and  has  always  been  a  conspicuciis  and 
substantial  structure.     Parts  of  this  tower  may 
rightly  lay  claim  to  great  antiquity.     The  tower 
at  the  northeast  is  built  at  its  lowest  part  of  bev- 
eled stones  from  nine  to  thirteen  feet  in  length, 
and  some  of  them  more  than   four  feet  high! 
Recent  excavations  show  that  for  some  distance 
above  the  foundation  it  is  formed  of  the  natural 
rock.     When   David   came  up  from   Hebron,  it 
\yill  be  remembered  that  the  Jebusites  exulted  in 
the  strength  of  their  fortress,  impregnable  as  they 
supposed.     They  looked  down  proudly  from  t!ieir 
secure  heights,  and  taunted  David  with  his  rela- 
tive weakness.     They  believed  that  even  lame 
and  blind  men  were  able  to  hold  a  fortress  which 
naturally  was  so  strong.    They  did  not,  however, 
reckon  on  the  bravery  of  their  foes.     Soon  Joab 


I 


r^v  i 


80 


SUNDAY   NIGHT  I.ECTURES 


.lii 


A    ' 


,  '  ' 


■f    ' 


,.iv 


climbed  the  steep  ascent,  gained  a  signal  victory, 
and  won  the  chieftaincy  of  David's  hosts.  Soon 
the  ancient,  and  seemingly  everlasting  gates, 
"  lifted  np  their  heads,"  and  David  entered  in 
triumph,  dwelt  in  the  stronghold  of  Zion,  and 
called  it  the  City  of  David. 

Let  us  approach  nearer  to  one  place  of  marvel- 
ous interest.  The  spirit  of  the  ancient  time  sur- 
rounds this  neighborhood  and  fills  our  minds  as 
we  meditate  on  these  historic  facts.  The  Bible 
narrative  becomes  marvelously  real  in  the  pres- 
ence of  these  enduring  monuments  ^2  the  past, 
and  of  the  heroic  achievements  of  David  and  his 
men.  Here  are  still  the  thirty  steps  cut  into  the 
rock  by  the  old  Jebusites  more  than  three  thou- 
sand years  ago.  These  steps  were  used  as  a 
means  of  climbing  into  the  fortress.  Doctor 
Fish  rightly  suggests  that  David  probably  had 
these  cuttings  in  mind  when  he  said  :  *'  Whoso- 
ever getteth  up  to  the  gutter,  and  smiteth  the 
Jebusites,  shall  be  chief."  How  many  feet  have 
trodden  these  ancient  steps  !  How  voiceful  they 
are  even  to  this  hour  !  They  are  witnesses  to  the 
heroic  deeds  of  friends  and  foes  "  in  the  brave 
days  of  old."  The  fortress  which  David  erected 
here  was  the  stronghold  of  Zion  in  all  after 
ages.  Attention  has  been  frequently  called  to 
the  fact  that  if  what  we  now  see  be  really  the 
tower  of  David,  or  that  built  by  Herod,  it  was 
standing  here  when  Christ  visited  Jerusalem, 
and  his  eyes  frequently  rested  on  this  tower  and 
his  shadow  fell  upon  parts  of  it  while  he  walked 
in  Zion.     Josephus  tells  us  that  when  Titus  de- 


VARIOUS  INTERESTING   PLACES  8l 

stroyed  Jerusalem,  he  lefrstandi"nffll,e~three 
towers  built  by  Herod ;  two  of  thest  three  If? 
untouched  by  Titus,  have  beeu  fe^oyed    inc 

I  lains.     With   many  other   travelers    I   reo-nrH 

ale.,r  "it  ,"'  t  "'«'  ""-esting'u'e/inT..- 

s  not  in   T r  ""f "  ''"'    '^"'  "'"'  P™bablv  there 

Lf    1     i-'T"''''^'"  ^  ""■8"'=  building-  on  which 

o    thisold't'^  ''"ri"^  "°"-  "■"'  ">e— ep  o, 
ot  this  old  tower  lifting  itself  in  its  strength   its 

otl^er'parts  rf'T^'^'f' '^'-'-^^  P^^«  °"  '°  ^sit 

1         ^T  '"^'°"c  places  in  their  gejcvraphicil 
order.     Near  the  Damascus  Gate,  t1,e"fiT.e  1  h 
Jernsalem,  is  the  entrance  to  the  Royal  Quarries 
They  are  vast  caverns  reaching  beneath  Be.etha 
the  nor^iern  hill,  on  which  the  Holy  Citv  Ts 

cHscoverln.r'''  "'  ""^"S™"""  Jenis^lem ';v 
mscOTered  m  an  apparently  accidental,  but  al- 
togc  her  interesting,  manner.     Doctor  Barclay 

mient  i°'  '"^P'-^-^f"' .""estigations  and  his  e  o- 
quent  descnptioiis,  discovered  this  entrance  in 

laoois,  and  those  of  many  other  in\esti<.ators  in 
exploring   underground    Jerusalem,    have    bee 
richly  rewarded.     Let  us  enter  this  dark  rcah!" 


'  I  Kings  6  :  7, 
F 


.:  ^ 


iii  '  s. 


82 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


Leaving  the  bright  light  wliich  gilds  the  ancient 
city  with  heavenly  splendor,  we  pass  into  the 
darkness  of  these  quarries.  Almost  immediately 
we  descend  a  few  feet,  and  then  light  our  torches 
and  descend  still  farther.  We  soon  discover 
that  the  quarries  are  not  only  vast  caverns,  but 
a  succession  of  chambers  in  great  disorder. 
Here  and  there  enormous  and  shapeless  pillars 
are  left  standing  to  support  the  roof.  It  is  al- 
most startling  to  remember  that  nearly  all  that 
part  of  Jerusalem  which  lies  east  of  the  street 
of  the  Damascus  Gate  stands  over  these  quarries. 
There  is  thus  a  great  underground  Jerusalem  ;  a 
succession  of  mighty  aisles  and  mammoth  cham- 
bers. We  soon  discover  that  the  floor  of  these 
quarries  is  very  irregular,  and  the  visitor  must 
be  extremely  careful  lest  he  fall  into  one  of  the 
many  deep  pits.  The  descent  at  the  dee^^est 
part  is  said  to  be  not  less  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet.  At  the  bottom  of  some  of  the  deep 
excavations  the  bones  of  human  skeletons  have 
been  found.  The  walls  are  covered  in  places 
with  crystalline  encrustations  caused  by  the 
water  as  it  has  trickled  down.  In  other  cases 
stalactites  hang  from  the  ceiling  and  stalagmites 
rise  from  the  floor.  Here  are  unfinished  stones 
looking  as  if  the  workmen  had  just  ceased  their 
labors  for  the  noonday  meal  and  had  forgotten 
to  return  to  resume  their  work.  Here  are  the 
marks  of  the  saws  where  the  stones  were  re- 
moved from  the  rock,  and  here  are  vast  blocks 
cut  from  the  rock  but  not  carried  out  from  the 
quarry.     Here  is  a  hole  cut  by  the  workmen, 


VARIOUS   INTERESTING   PLACES  83 

and  once  filled  with  water  which  they  nsed  at 
their  meals  or  while  they  pursued  their  toils 
Here  are   the  slight   depressions  made  in   tlie 
stone  where  the  oil  was  placed,  which,   when 
Illuminated,   became   a    lamp   furnishino-   them 
light  as  they  continued  their  labors.     Here  are 
the  discolorations  caused  by  the  flame  of  this 
rude  lamp  which  still  remain  upon  the  rocks 
It  is  said  that  not  less  than  four  acres  are  made 
up  of  these  quarries.     Doubtless  Solomon's  men 
here  quarried  the  stones  for  the  temple.     Some- 
how  many  persons  suppose  that  the  stone,  like 
the  wood  of  the  temple,  was  brought  to  Jeru- 
salem  by  king  Hiram  from  Tyre,  or  by  some 
other  great  contractor  from  some  other  place 
Indeed,  the  fact  that  the  stones  for  Solomon'^ 
temple  ^vere  quarried  under  this  part  of   Teru- 
salem  will  spoil  many  an  eloquent  sermon  on 
the  temple,  or  on  some  part  of  the  description 
of  Its  erection;  but  oven  at  the  risk  of  spoiling 
sermons,  historic  taith  must  be  told.     Here  is 
even  now  a  great  monolith  which  split  in  the 
process   of   removal,   and,   as   I    have   said,  the 
smoke-marks  of    the    Phoenician    workmen  are 
still  seen,  and  one  of  their  lamps  has  actually 
been  found  in  the  position  in  which  it  was  lef^ 
1  ousands  of  years  ago.     Doubtless  it  was  from 
this  quarry  that  both  Zcrubbabel  and  Herod  ^ot 
the  stone  with  which  they  rebuilt  the  temple 
I     is  deeply  interesting  to  re-people  these  dark 
and  silent  realius  with  the    busy  workmen    of 

mon'T''4>'  ^^^':'^'^'^^''!^  '-^"^1  Herod.     When  Solo- 
mons  lemple  was  built  it  was  in  these  under- 


I* .  /l 


84 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


.'  ■■  'J!' 


/  ' 


ground  regions  that  the  sound  of  the  hammer 
and  cliisel  was  heard,  so  that  after  the  stone  was 
brought  out,  and  when  the  temple  was  in  pro- 
cess of  erection,  it  could  be  truly  said : 

No  workman's  steel,  no  ponderous  axes  rung  ; 
Like  some  tall  palm  the  noiseless  fabric  sprung. 

It  is  quite  certain  that  Mito  these  quarries 
numbers  of  Jews  went  for  refuge  when  Titus 
took  the  city.  We  know  that  many  found  a 
hiding  place  in  sewers  and  aqueducts  in  and 
near  the  city  ;  many  thousands  would  hasten  to 
these  great  quarries  as  their  last  hope  when  the 
capture  of  the  city  was  certain.  It  is  affirmed 
that  the  whole  population  of  Jerusalem  to-day 
could  be  stowed  away  in  these  quarries.  The 
visitor  to  Jerusalem  will  never  forget  the  feeling 
of  awe  that  conies  over  him  as  he  walks  through 
these  subterranean  caverns.  For  ages  and  ages 
darkness  and  silence  have  reigned  in  their  dreary 
abcdes.  The  streets  overhead  have  been  deluged 
with  blood  :  through  them  has  rushed  the  fierce 
populace,  making  them  echo  with  the  c^y : 
"  Crucify  him !  Crucify  him  !  "  And,  as  Doc- 
tor Fish  has  suggested,  perhaps  a  shudder  rang 
through  these  gloomy  depths  when  Jesus  gave 
up  the  ghost,  and  when  the  earth  shook  as  if  it 
shuddered  at  the  cruelties  which  it  witnessed. 

The  Jews'  Wailing  Place. — All  visitors  to 
Jerusalem  will  readily  agree  that  this  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting,  affecting,  and  often  pathetic 


'.  y . 


VARIOUS   INTERESTING  PLACES 


«5 

places  in  the  Holy  City.     Here,  on  the  eveninjr 
of  Friday,  the  Jews  assemble  for  humiliation  and 
supplication.     All  travelers  who  can  possibly  be 
in  Jerusalem  on  that  evenincr  visit  this  place.     It 
IS  near  the  sacred  spot  on  which  the  old  temple 
stood.     The  stones  in  the  wall  are  of  immense 
size,  and  doubtless  some  of  them  were  once  a 
part  of  the  temple,  or  of  some  of  the  walls  of  its 
various  courts.     They  are  beveled  at  their  edges 
with  much  care ;  this  fact  is  usually  considered 
as  evidence  of  their  great  age  and  of  their  former 
position  as  parts  of  the  ancient  temple.     The 
area  itself  is  about  one  liundred  feet  long  and 
fifteen  wide.     The  temple  wall  above  the  ground 
at  this  spot  is  sixty  feet  high.     The  place  is 
reached  by  passing  through  a  succession  of  nar- 
row, winding,  and  most  filthy  streets,  and  often 
no  small  degree  of  filth  is  found  in  the  area  it- 
self.    The  Jews  believe  that  their  prayers  will 
find  special  acceptance  with  God  when  offered 
through  crevices  of  the  walls  composed  of  stones 
which  formed   part  of  the  building,  regarding 
which  God  had  said,  "  Mine  eyes  and  mine  heart 
shall  be  there  perpetually."     The  result  is  that 
the  Jews  who  come  here  to  pray  put  their  lips 
between  the  stones,  and  in  that  attitude  offer 
their  prayer  that  they  may  claim  the  promise 
just  quoted.     Here  I  found  rows  of  Jews— men, 
women,   and   children— sitting   in    the  dust   in 
front  of  the  wall  or  standing  against  it,  some 
reading  or  reciting,  others  praying.     They  rev- 
erently touched  the  stones  of  the  temple;' they 
caressed  them  lovingly;  they  kissed  them  ten- 


•i' 


h    t 


j 


\/ii: 


t 


,r-l 


■  i 


r 

'1 


I 


86 


SUNDAY  NIGHT   LKCTURKS 


derly,  passionately.  Tears  literally  streamed 
down  their  cheeks ;  they  were  genuine  tears. 
No  one  can  doubt,  however  he  may  explain,  the 
fact  that  the  sorrow  is  sincere  and  the  tears  are 
genuine.  Their  lamentations  touch  the  heart  of 
the  visitor ;  no  thoughts  of  levity  intrude  upon 
the  reality  of  the  sorrow  which  the  visitor  every- 
where sees.  I  really  pitied  these  Jews  who  were 
here  from  many  parts  of  the  world,  Jews  wearing 
different  garments  and  speaking  various  lan- 
guages. They  meet  usually  from  three  to  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  after  wailing  out 
their  lamentations  and  offering  their  supplica- 
tions, they  go  to  various  synagogues.  They  rock 
to  and  fro,  as  their  lips  mutter  their  wails  and 
lamentations.  Jerome  makes  a  touching  allu- 
sion to  the  Jewish  mourners  of  his  day  v  iio  paid 
the  Roman  soldiers  for  allowing  them  to  go  and 
weep  over  the  ruins  of  the  Holy  City.  A  firman 
from  the  sultan,  for  which  they  pay  a  small  tax, 
gives  them  a  perpetual  right  to  the  wailing- 
place.  With  equal  fervor  they  pray  and  with 
equal  sorrow  they  weep  to-day.  Readers  will  be 
glad  to  see  an  example  of  the  beautiful  litany, 
parts  of  which  they  still  chant  over  their  house 
defiled  by  infidels : 


THE   RABBIN    READS  ALOUD  : 

For  the  place  that  lies  desolate  : 
For  the  place  that  is  destroyed  : 
For  the  walls  that  are  over- 
thrown : 
For  our  majesty  that  is  de- 
parted : 
For  our  great  men  who  lie  dead : 


ALL  THE   PEOPLE   RESPOND  : 

We  sit  in  solitude  and  mourn. 
We  sit  in  solitude  and  mourn. 
We  sit  in  solitude  and  mourn. 

We  sit  in  solitude  and  mourn. 

We  sit  in  solitude  and  mourn. 


»  > 


'i 


VARIOUS   INTKRKSTING   PI.ACKS 


^7 


For  the  precious  stones  that  are       We  sit  in  solitude  and  mourn, 
buried  : 

For  the  priests  who  have  stum-       We  sit  in  solitude  and  mourn 
bled  : 

For  our   kings  who  have  dc-       We  sit  in  solitude  and  mourn 
spised  him  : 

Another  litany,  consisting  of  five  petitions  and 
five  responses,  is  frequently  repeated.  It  will  be 
observed  that  lis  litany  is  written  after  the 
manner  of  an  antiphonal  psalm  : 

TIIK   RAHIIIN    PRAYS   THl'S  :  TIIF.    niOI'I.K   ANSWKR  : 

We  pray  thee  have  mercy  on  Gather  the  children  of  Jerusa- 

Zion  :  leni. 

Haste  !    haste  !     Redeemer   of  Speak  to  the  heart  of  Jerusa- 

Zion  :  lem. 

May  beauty  and  majesty  sur-  Ali  !  turn  thyself  mercifully  to 

round  Zion  :  Jerusalem. 

May  the  kingdom  soon  return  Comfort  those  who  mourn  over 

to  '^'on  :  Jerusalem. 

May  peace  and  joy  abide  with  And  the  IJranch  of  Jesse  spring 

^'°"  '•  up  at  Jerusalem. 

The  Jews  in  Jeru.salem  are  mostly  very  poor  ; 
they  live  chiefly  on  the  charity  of  their  country- 
men in  other  lands;  and  they  spend  much  of 
their  time  visiting  holy  places,  studying  ancient 
Scriptures,  and  many  of  them  are  looking  for- 
ward to  a  grave  in  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat  as 
the  greatest  boon  they  can  desire  at  the  close  of 
this  life. 

The  Via  Dolorosa.— Few  streets  in  Jerusa- 
lem deserve  or  receive  so  much  attention  as  the 
Via  Doloro.sa,  or  "Way  of  Sorrow."  If  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  really  stands  on 
Calvary,  perhaps  this  street  is  rightly  designated. 


^  : 


mi 


\  1 

I 

,    I 

•     fi 


■ 


I 


;■  ■  I 


•       V 


Ml 


88 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


It  is  a  narrow  street  and  roughly  paved,  but  is 
in  some  places  truly  picturesque  with  its  quaint 
arches,  strangely  constructed  houses,  and  very 
ancient  styles  of  masonry.  No  one  can  look 
with  indifference,  however  much  unbelief  he 
may  express,  on  its  so-called  "holy  places." 
Considering  the  many  sieges  which  Jerusalem 
has  experienced,  one  cannot  be  sure  of  any  of  its 
localities,  but  even  though  this  may  not  be  the 
very  street  trodden  by  Christ  on  his  way  to  Cal- 
vary, it  has  at  least  been  hallowed  by  the  tears 
and  prayers  of  millions  of  pilgrims  during  the 
Christian  centuries.  They  have  come  from 
many  lands  ;  they  have  had  many  superstitions  ; 
they  showed  much  ignorance,  but  many  of  them 
had  a  desire  to  follow  the  footsteps  of  Christ, 
according  to  their  light,  as  their  Lord  and 
Master.  I  must  admit  that  there  was  to  me  no 
satisfactory  historic  evidence  of  the  genuineness 
of  these  sacred  sites ;  the  street  was  not  even 
known  in  connection  with  these  sacred  associa- 
tions until  the  fourteenth  century.  Rut  we  have 
at  last  the  Pretorium,  where  Christ  was  arrayed 
in  purple  and  crowned  with  thorns.  This  place 
I  visited  with  the  deepest  interest.  Here  is 
shown  the  entrance  to  the  Hall  of  Judgment, 
where  Pilate  declared  Christ  was  innocent ;  the 
spot  where  Peter  stood  when  he  denied  his  Lord ; 
the  Ecce  Homo  Arch,  where  Pilate  exhibited 
him  to  the  people ;  the  place  of  the  binding  of 
the  cross  on  the  shoulder  of  Christ ;  the  place 
where  he  sank  under  it  and  where  Simon  of 
Cyrene  was  compelled  to  carry  it ;  and  the  im- 


i     '111 


lil 


! 


4 


VARIOUS   INTKRESTING   PLACES  89 


pression  of  Christ's  shoulder  as  he  leaned  on  the 
wall  for  support ;  also  the  house  of  Veronica 
who  wiped  his  brow  and  on  whose  handkerchief 
Ills  features  were  forever  imprinted;  and  the 
place  where  Jesus  said,  ''  Daughters  of  Terusa- 
cin  weep  not  for  ine."  Here  also  are  shown 
the  house  of  Lazarus  and  the  house  of  Dives 
One  cannot  have  confidence  in  the  authenticity 
of  any  of  these  sacred  places,  but  they  recall 
tlie  historic  facts  as  presented  by  the  evangelists. 

The  Tomb  ok  David.— This  is  close  to  the 
Lepers  Quarters ;  it  is  by  far  the  most  remark- 
able  of  all  the  tombs  in  or  near  Jerusalem,  ex- 
cept, of  course,  the  tomb  of  our  Lord.    It  is  quite 
certain  that  David  was  buried  in  Zion,  and  the 
Apostle  Peter  tells   us   that  "his   sepulchre   is 
.'y    u"',il"^^  this  day."     Adjoining  the  tomb  is 
the  building  or  mosque  known  as  the  Ccenacu- 
liim,  the  place  where  the  Lord's  vSupper  was  in- 
stituted.    In  1839  Sir  Moses  :\Iontefiore  and  his 
party  vyere  admitted  to  the  mosque.     Through 
the  trellised   doorway  they  saw  the   tomb,  but 
tl:-y  were  not  permitted  to  enter  it.     Miss  Bar- 
clay, the  daughter  of  Dr.  Barclav,  the  American 
missionary  of  whom  I  have  already  spoken,  was 
ater  permitted,  through  the  influence  of  a  Mo- 
hammedan lady,  to  enter  the  tomb  and  to  make 
a  sketch  of  its  salient  features.    The  room  is  not 
large,  but  is  richly  furnished.     The  sarcophagus 
IS  ot  rough  stone  and  is  covered  with  green  satin 
tapestry  richly  embroidered  with  gold.     The  real 
tomb  IS  possibly  in  a  cave  below,  the  door  to 


h  IJ 


90 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


inj  I  '' 


which  is  covered  with  black  velvet  tapestry  em- 
broidered in  silver.  Near  this  door  hanj^s  an 
ever-bnrning  lamp ;  in  the  southwest  corner  a 
staircase  descends  to  the  lower  room,  and  in  the 
middle  of  it  is  shown  the  place  where,  it  is  said, 
our  Lord  celebrated  his  last  Passover,  and  insti- 
tuted his  Supper  with  his  disciples.  The  place 
where  it  is  claimed  the  table  stood  is  pointed 
out,  and  a  .stone  in  the  wall  marks  the  place 
where  the  Lord  sat  or  reclined.  If  this  really  is 
"the  upper  room  "  of  Scripture,  what  wonderful 
events  have  happened  here !  The  preparation 
for  the  last  supper,  the  washing  of  the  disciples' 
feet,  the  institution  of  the  supper  itself,  the  ten 
days'  prayer  meeting  while  waiting  for  the  ful- 
fillment of  the  promise  of  the  vSpirit's  descent, 
and  the  coming  of  the  Spirit  on  tlie  day  of  Pen- 
tecost !  Marvels  upon  marvels !  what  histories 
concerning  time  and  eternity  are  suggested  to  us 
by  this  place !  If  only  one  could  be  sure  that  it 
is  the  real  place,  how  his  soul  would  glow  with 
holy  emotion,  with  lofty  aspiration,  and  with 
divine  inspiration.  The  tombs  of  the  Kings  and 
the  tombs  of  the  Judges,  on  the  north  of  Jeru- 
salem, are  also  objects  of  great  interest. 

Many  lessons  are  suggested  by  the  places  we 
have  visited.  Whatever  the  historic  facts  regard- 
ing the  strait  gate  may  be,  there  is,  as  taught  us 
in  Matt.  7  :  13,  14,  a  strait  gate  for  every  human 
soul.  This  truth  it  is  well  for  us  constantly  to 
appreciate  and  daily  to  emphasize.  We  also  may 
learn  that  the  whole  world  is  a  quarry  in  which 
God  is  getting  material  for  the  spiritual  temple. 


VARIOUS   INTKRI'STINO   ri.ACI-S 


91 


Again,  did  time  permit  ns  to  enlarj^e  upon  the 
thought,  it  would  be  profitahle  to  emphasize  the 
fact  tliat  all  of  us,  like  Christ,  must  carry  our 
cross  to  our  Calvary;  and,  finally,  we  may 'learn 
that  we  daily  may  hold  communion  with' Christ 
as  truly  as  did  the  disciples  in  that  upper  room, 
and  that  vve  daily  may  be  under  the  inspiration 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  since  his  descent  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost  eyery  belieyer  has  become  his 
sacred  and  august  temple. 


r- 


'    J 


i\ 


1.1 


'f 


'? 


;  /I 


VIII 

"  ROUND  ABOUT  JERUSALEM  " 

WE  cannot  do  better  than  start  again  at  the 
Jaffa  Gate.  Directly  before  us,  as  we 
begin  our  tour  outside  the  walls,  is  the  valley  of 
Gihon  into  which  we  descend.  This  valley  is 
memorable  as  the  place  where  Solomon  was 
crowned  and  proclaimed  king.  Here  are  the 
upper  and  lower  pools  of  Gihon.  The  lower 
pool  is  six  hundred  feet  long  and  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  wide,  and  its  depth  is  from  thirty- 
five  to  forty  feet.  It  is  believed  by  those  compe- 
tent to  express  an  opinion  that  this  great  reser- 
voir dates  from  the  time  of  Hezekiah.  Tradition 
says  it  was  here  that  David  saw  Bathsheba  batli- 
ing,  when  the  thoughts  of  evil  entered  into  his 
mind,  which  resulted  in  his  act  of  perfidious 
murder. 

The  valley  of  Gihon  is  changed  to  the  valley 
of  Hinnom  as  it  turns  eastward.  It  also  grows 
narrower  until  it  becomes  a  ravine  with  steep 
and  rocky  sides.  It  separates  IMount  Zion  on  the 
north  from  the  hill  of  Evil  Counsel  and  the 
plain  of  Rephaim  on  the  south.  On  the  south- 
ern border  overlooking  the  eastern  end  of  this 
valley,  Solomon  built  the  high  places  to  Moloch.* 


*  I  Kings  11:7. 


92 


''     ) 


"  ROUND   ABOUT   JERUSAI.EM  " 


93 


Usually  kings  followed  the  practice  begun  by 
Solomon,  so  that  Ahaz  and  Manasseh  did  not 
spare  their  own  sons,  but  made  them  pass  through 
the  fire  to  Moloch.  This  false  and  cruel  God  was 
set  up  in  the  very  face  of  the  true  Ciod.  It  is 
quite  probable  that  Baal  and  IMolocli  were  differ- 
ent names  for  the  same  abominable  deity.  There 
was  in  this  valley  a  great  iron  image  of  this  idol, 
and  little  children  were  placed  on  the  red-hot 
hands  of  the  image,  their  agonizing  shrieks  be- 
ing drowned  by  the  clattering  cymbals  in  the 
hands  of  the  worshipers  and  by  th.e  wild  shouts 
which  accompanied  the  beating  of  the  cymbals. 
Milton  thus  describes  these  abominations  : 

Moloch,  horrid  king,  besmeared  with  blood 

Of  human  sacrifice  and  parents'  tears, 

Though  for  the  noise  of  drums  and  timbrels  loud 

Their  children's  cries  unheard,  that  passed  through  fire 

To  his  grim  idol— in  the  pleasant  vale  of  Hinnom,  To- 

phet  thence. 
And  black  gehenna  called,  the  type  of  Hell. 


The  good  Josiah  with  a  strong  hand  put  a  stop 
to  the  Satanic  practice  of  infant  sacrifice.  He 
made  the  place  a  place  of  refuse  and  a  charnel 
house ;  and  :t  became  so  odious  that  later  the 
Jews  called  it  "Ge-Hinnom,"  or,  as  the  word  has 
become  in  later  usage,  "Gehenna,"  making  this 
place  symbolical  of  the  fire  of  eternal  torment. 

Within  this  valley  is  the  traditional  Field  of 
Blood,  or  Aceldema  of  the  traitor  Judas.  Tiiis 
place  is  on  the  southern  face  of  the  valley  at  the 
eastern  end.     Tombs   abound    in    the  vicinity ; 


fir' 


'I, 


,6  ^' 

r 


i 


I'   ' 


^' 

94 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


tombs  of  hermits,  Crusaders,  and  pilgrims,  some 
of  the  latter  being  of  recent  date.  In  some  of 
these  tombs  lepers  and  other  outcasts  now  find  a 
home.  The  hill  is  called  the  "Hill  of  Evil 
Counsel "  from  the  tradition  that  here  was  the 
country  house  of  Caiaphas  in  which  he  met  the 
Jews  to  form  a  conspiracy  as  to  how  they  might 
best  put  Jesus  to  death.  Near  here  is  En-Rogel, 
a  word  which  means  the  "  Fuller's  Fountain  "  ; 
some  believe  it  to  be  the  "  well  of  Nehemiah." 
It  will  be  rememljcred  that  at  this  fountain  Jon- 
athan and  Ahimaaz  waited  for  news  from  David 
in  his  time  of  trouble;  "for  they  might  not  be 
seen  to  come  into  the  city." '  Wlien  Adonijah 
"exalted  himself,  srying,  I  will  be  king,"  it  was 
at  this  fountain  that  he  celebrated  his  coronation 
feast."  This  well  is  in  one  of  the  most  fertile 
spots  around  Jerusalem.  It  is  wailed  up  with 
large  squared  stones,  is  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  feet  deep,  and  at  times  is  full  to  overflowing. 

Pool  of  Siloam. — This  is  an  object  of  very 
great  interest.  Around  few  places  in  or  near 
Jerusalem  do  so  many  tender,  beautiful,  and  po- 
etic memories  gather  as  about  the  pool  of  Siloam. 
This  pool  is  supplied  by  a  fountain  of  the  same 
name,  and  around  it  are  ancient  stones  and  ma- 
sonry. There  are  some  broken  pillars  in  the 
pool,  and  in  certain  places  it  is  lined  with  very 
old  stone  work.  In  Isa.  8  :  6,  we  read  of  "  the 
waters  of  Shiloah  that  go  softly."    This  beautiful 


*  2  Sam.  17  :  17. 


'  I  Kings  I  :  9. 


'    ):'l 


"  ROUND   ABOUT  JERUSALEM  " 


95 


»j 


imagery  of  the  old  prophet  has  given  its  poetic 
suggestion  to  all  writers  since  his  day.  All  our 
thonghts  of  this  pool  are  colored  by  the  descrip- 
tions given  in  Scriptnre  and  by  the  later  writers 
in  prose  and  poetry.  Perhaps  Isaiah's  imagery 
led  Milton  to  describe  this  rill  as, 

Siloa's  brook  that  flowed 
Fast  by  the  oracle  of  God. 

If  we  follow  the  stream  for  a  little  distance  we 
shall  come  to  the  pool  of  Siloam.  It  is  fifty- 
three  feet  long,  eighteen  feet  broad,  and  nineteen 
feet  deep.  The  broken  columns  of  which  I  have 
spoken  probably  indicate  that  a  church  was  once 
built  over  this  historic  pool.  Is  this  really  the 
pool  to  which  Christ  sent  the  blind  man,  saying 
to  him  after  he  had  anointed  his  eyes  with  clay  : 
"  Go,  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam  "  ?  The  ques- 
tion immediately  suggests  itself  to  the  traveler 
who  is  familiar  with  this  incident  in  the  life  of 
our  Lord  ;  for  these  waters  thus  formed  a  part  of 
the  wonder-working  power  of  Jesus  Christ.  Were 
they  the  first  thing  which  this  man  saw  after 
he  had  washed  therein  ?  Standing  beside  these 
waters,  his  eyes  now  opened,  did  he  look  up  and 
for  the  first  time  behold  the  light,  and  gaze  on 
the  city  and  on  the  valley?  What  thoughts 
must  have  filled  his  soul,  and  what  thoughts  fill 
our  souls  as  we  now  recall  these  wonderful 
events  !  At  certain  seasons  of  the  year  red  an- 
emones bloom  in  the  crevices  and  around  the 
edges  of  the  old  pool ;  they  also  fringe  the  riv- 
ulet as  it  flows  from  under  the  brow  of  the  hill. 


L   > 


■} 


^r 


w ' 


96 


SUNDAY  NIGHT   tKCTURES 


I, 


;4 


,1     I 


These  facts  were  doubtless  in  the  mind  of  Bishop 
Heber  when  he  wrote  the  lines  which  we  often 
sing  in  our  public  services,  lines  which  seem  still 
to  reproduce  the  imagery  of  Isaiah  and  the  sug- 
gestion of  Milton,  and  lines  which  bring  their 
benediction  of  peace  to  their  readers  or  singers : 

By  cool  Siloam'  s  shady  rill 
How  fair  the  lily  grows  ! 

Probably  it  was  from  Siloam  that  the  water 
was  drawn  to  pour  on  the  sacrifices  on  the  last 
great  day  of  the  feast.  It  was  this  fact  that  sug- 
gested our  Lord's  words  on  a  memorable  occa- 
sion; "If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me, 
and  drink."  The  gardens  below  Siloam  form 
certainly  one  of  the  greenest  and  most  attractive 
spots  in  the  vicinity  of  Jerusalem.  There  is  a 
zigzag  passage  nearly  two  thousand  feet  long  cut 
through  the  rock  which  connects  Siloam  with 
the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin  on  the  opposite  side 
of  Ophel.  The  water  of  this  fountain  often 
bursts  out  in  a  great  stream,  and  then  as  sud- 
denly subsides.  The  common  people  believe 
that  a  dragon  dwells  in  the  fountain,  and  that 
when  he  wakes  he  stops  the  flowing  of  the  water, 
but  when  he  sleeps  it  resumes  its  flowing  as  be- 
fore. Tradition  points  out  in  connection  with 
this  fountain  the  spot  wh.ere  the  Virgin  Mary 
washed  the  swaddling  clothes  of  the  infant  Sav- 
iour. Some  have  supposed  *hat  the  fountain  of 
the  Virgin  is  the  Bethesda  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, where  our  Lord  cured  the  iinpotent  man  ; 
but  others  place  the  pool  of  Bethesda  within  the 


\ 


:\     y\ 


"ROUND  ABOUT  JERUSALEM" 


97 


walls  and  near  St.  Stephen's  Gate.  Perhaps  the 
consensus  of  opinion  in  our  clay  is  toward  this 
latter  place  as  the  true  pool  of  Bethesda. 

The  modern  Arab  village  called  Silwan  is  a 
miserable  place,  some  of  the  huts  being  old  sep- 
ulchres hewn  in  the  rock.  Near  here  was  the 
tower  of  Siloam  which  fell  and  slew  eighteen 
persons.^ 

The  King's  Gardens  are  at  the  point  of  junc- 
tion of  Hinnom  and  Kedron.  The  name  comes 
from  the  opinion  that  David  and  Solomon  had 
splendid  gardens  here,  the  spot  being  even  now 
most  attractive.  On  either  side  are  fig,  olive, 
and  pomegranate  trees,  while  gardens  of  melons 
and  cucumbers  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year 
give  an  idea  of  remarkable  freshness  and  equal 
fruitfulness.  The  hills  on  either  side  are  ter- 
raced and  were  once  beautifully  cultivated.  Ne- 
hemiali  tells  us  that  the  King's  Gardens  were 
opposite  the  pool  of  Siloam,  and  were  watered 
by  thai  pool.  A  venerable  mulberry  tree  is 
shown  in  this  vicinity,  supported  by  a  pillar  of 
loose  stones ;  this  tree  is  said  to  mark  the  spot 
where  the  cruel  Manasseh  put  the  prophet  Isaiah 
to  death,  causing  him  to  be  sawn  asunder.  The 
tree  is  therefore  called  "Isaiah's  Tree."  One 
of  the  most  attractive  spots  in  this  neighborhood 
is  still  called,  as  it  was  believed  to  have  been 
called  of  old,  "The  King's  Dale." 

The  so-called  tombs  of  Zechariah,  Saint  James, 
Jehoshaphat,  and  Absalom  are  in  the  valley  of 


*  Luke  13  :  4. 
G 


98 


SUNDAY  NIGHT  LECTURES 


pi  ■(■ 


Jehoshaphat.  To  this  valley,  or  this  part  of  the 
general  valley,  we  now  come.  We  are  continu- 
ing our  course  around  the  southern  portion  of 
the  city — let  us  keep  our  geographical  relations 
clearly  in  mind.  We  cannot,  however,  be  suie 
of  the  identity  of  any  of  these  tombs.  The 
style  of  the  architecture  clearly  shows  that  the 
so-called  tomb  of  Absalom  is  not  the  pillar 
which  he  reared  for  himself  during  his  lifetime 
in  the  King's  Dale.  There  is  so  much  of  doubt 
regarding  all  these  tombs  that  one  cannot  speak 
of  their  identity  with  any  degree  of  certainty. 

The  Garden  of  Gethsemane. — We  con- 
tinue our  journey  until  we  have  reached  the 
eastern  side  of  Jerusalem.  We  are  now  about 
to  approach  one  of  the  most  sacred,  and,  in  the 
thought  of  many  Christian  believers,  //le  most 
sacred  place  in  the  vicinity  of  Jerusalem, — or 
even  in  the  whole  world, — the  garden  of  Geth- 
semane. This  garden  is  from  a  quarter  to  half  a 
mile  east  of  the  wall  of  the  city.  The  tradition 
which  places  the  betrayal  of  Christ  here  is  much 
supported.  Doctor  Fish,  in  his  excellent  volume 
to  which  I  have  already  referred,  quotes  Euse- 
bius,  bishop  of  Caesarea,  who  lived  almost  early 
enough  to  have  known  some  who  had  seen  the 
companions  of  the  apostles,  as  speaking  of  the 
garden  as  a  well-known  place.  Jerome,  a  half- 
century  later,  describes  the  situation  of  the  place 
as  in  harmony  with  the  present  locality.  Prob- 
ably the  garden  originally  covered  considerably 
more  space  than  is  now  occupied   by  what  is 


ir'  'yf 


.1 


u 


ROUND   ABOUT  JERUSALEM  " 


99 


con- 


known  as  Oetliscmane.     It  now  embraces  about 
one-third  of  an  acre  ;  to  l)e  more  exact,  it  meas- 
ures one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  by  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet.     It  is  surrounded  by  a  reasonably 
high  wall,  perhaps  about  six  feet  in  height,  co^'- 
ered  with  white  stucco.     This  wall  was  erec      : 
in  1847  l^y  the  Franciscan-,.     A  rock  to  the  east 
of  the  door  marks  the  spot  wliere  tlie  Apostles 
Peter  and  John  slept.     There  is  also  outside  the 
wall  a  fragment  of  a  column  which  indicates  the 
traditional  spot  where  Judas  betrayed  his  Lord 
with  a  kiss.     Passing  through  the  gate  in  this 
wall,   we  find  a  space  of  perhaps  five  feet  be- 
tween this  wall  and  an  iron  fence  which  sur- 
rounds the  garden.     In  none  of  the  descriptions 
which  I  have  seen  of  this  garden,  is  there  an 
allusion  to  this  iron  fence.     The  space  which  it 
encloses  is  laid  out  in  walks  and  flower  beds  in- 
terspersed with  a  few  shrubs  and  trees  of  smaller 
growth.     There   are   eight   olive  trees  of   large 
size  and  of  great  age  ;  they  were  not  there  in  the 
time  of  our  Lord,  for  we  know  that  Titus,  in 
preparation  for  the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  cut  down 
all  the  trees  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city.     But 
there  is  almost  no  doubt  that  the  trees  which  are 
there  now  grew  from  the  stumps  and  roots  of  the 
trees  which  were   there   in    Christ's   time,   and 
which    were   the  witnesses  of   his   unspeakable 
agony.     These  trees  are  shored  up  with  heaps  of 
stones  lest  the  wind  should  blow  them  down. 
They  are  also  supported,  in  part,  by  bars  of  iron! 
There  are  also  six  cypress  trees  in  the  garden  ; 
these  latter  trees,  for  some  reason,  are  generally 


•c? 


lOO 


SUNDAY   NIGHT    LKCTURKS 


-'  I     '  < 


4t  v 


,  '  ( 


'  ,  i 


omitted  in  the  descriptions  which  travelers  give 
of  this  sacred  place.  The  g^arden  is  carefully 
kept  by  the  Latin  monks,  and  all  forms  of  dese- 
cration are  prevented.  Here  and  there  fences 
shut  off  particular  spots,  but  on  the  inner  side  of 
the  outer  wall  very  poor  pictures  dishonor  the 
place,  and  disturb  one's  desire  to  reproduce  the 
wondrous  past.  I  visited  the  garden  for  the 
second  time  at  sundown  on  Sunday  evening.  I 
left  at  a  little  distance  my  dragoman  and  two 
others,  dwellers  in  Jerusalem,  who  chanced  to  be 
with  us  that  day,  that  I  might  be  alone  with  my 
thoughts,  that  I  might  read  again  the  Scripture 
narrative  of  our  Lord's  agony  in  the  garden,  and 
that  I  might  make  the  scene  of  his  sufferings 
real  and  personal.  Some  have  said  that  the 
present  garden  is  not  sufficiently  lonely  and 
secluded  to  harmonize  with  the  descriptions 
given  by  the  evangelists,  and  that  possibly  the 
agony  of  our  Lord  occurred  in  the  larger  garden 
which  existed,  as  it  is  supposed,  in  that  day,  and 
not  in  the  portion  of  the  garden  now  shown. 
But  it  seemed  to  me  to  be  a  place  of  peculiar 
loneliness  and  seclusion.  The  Mount  of  Olives 
overhangs  it  on  the  one  side  and  the  embattled 
walls  of  Jerusalem  on  the  other.  It  is  a  fitting 
spot  for  one  desiring  to  be  alone  with  God  at 
evening's  holy  hour,  or  under  the  shadows  cast 
by  the  olive  trees  under  the  light  of  the  Passover 
moon.  An  American  woman  has  furnished  a 
sufficient  amount  of  money  to  maintain  a  tank 
of  water  in  the  garden.  This  provision  enables 
the  guardians  to  keep  the  flowers  constantly  in 


\^ 


"round   about  JERUSALEM"  loi 


bloom  and  the  grass  perpetually  fresh  and  green. 
It  was  an  admirable  gift ;  it  symbolizes  the 
place  which  the  garden  and  its  sacred  scenes 
must  ever  have  in  the  minds  of  Christians 
throughout  the  whole  world.  Thoughts  of  won- 
derful tenderness  came  into  my  mind  on  that 
Sunday  evening,  amid  the  fading  light  of  day 
and  the  gathering  shadows  of  evening.  Perhaps 
near  the  spot  where  I  stood  did  Christ  endure 
the  bloody  sweat  of  agony  untold  ;  perhaps  it 
was  here  that  the  angel  came  and  ministered 
unto  him  when  he  was  exhausted  with  "strong 
crying  and  tears." 

Under  the  olive  boughs, 

Falling  like  ruby  beads, 
The  blood  drops  from  his  brows  ; 

He  bleeds  !     My  Saviour  bleeds  ! 

Josephus  tells  us  that  the  suburbs  of  Jerusa- 
lem abound  with  gardens  and  pleasure  grounds. 
The  word  "garden,"  it  ought  to  be  borne  in 
mind,  was  then  used  with  a  somewhat  different 
meaning  from  that  which  we  now  give  to  the 
name.  The  garden  of  Gethsemane  is  now  more 
truly  a  garden,  in  our  use  of  the  word,  tlian  it 
was  in  Christ's  day.  Then  the  word  garden 
meant  substantially  what  we  mean  by  the  word 
orchard.  This  garden,  however,  will  ever  be  as- 
sociated with  but  a  single  event,  the  agony  of 
the  Son  of  God  on  the  evening  preceding  his 
death  on  the  cross.  Here  was  fulfilled  the 
prophecy  of  Isaiah  regarding  the  Christ:  "I 
have  trodden  the  wine-press  alone."     The  word 


!(  W' 


;r      ) 


I02 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURKS 


Getlisemane  means  an  olive  press.  The  garden 
is  but  a  few  paces  to  the  south  from  the  so-called 
tomb  of  the  Virp^in.  The  entrance  is  from  the 
Mount  of  Olives  toward  the  southeast.  The 
olive  oil  yielded  by  the  trees  in  the  ji^arden  is 
still  sold  for  a  hi<i^li  price,  and  many  rosaries  are 
still  made  from  the  olive  stones. 

This  garden  was  to  me  holy  ground  ;  here,  if 
ever,  I  felt  like  taking  my  shoes  from  off  my 
feet.  Yonder  on  Calvary  Christ's  body  was  cru- 
cified ;  but  here  in  Getlisemane  was  the  cruci- 
fixion of  his  soul.  Yonder  he  gave  up  his  life  ; 
here  he  yielded  his  soul  in  sweet  obedience  to 
the  Father's  will.  There  the  letter  of  the  law 
was  satisfied  ;  here  the  weight  of  the  law,  in  its 
spiritual  import,  fell  on  the  soul  of  Christ.  In 
this  garden  his  "own  familiar  friend  betrayed 
him."  Here  the  Captain  of  our  salvation  ex- 
perienced the  truth  that  the  soul  of  his  suffer- 
ings was  the  suffering  of  his  soul.  And  here  in 
the  quiet  of  my  own  heart,  at  evening's  holy 
hour,  I  strove  to  dedicate  myself  afresh  in  un- 
swerving loyalty  to  my  crucified  Lord,  and  in 
unceasing  love  for  the  souls  of  men  for  whom 
he  died. 


Ml   .    t 


IX 

BETIILRHKM — "HOUSE   OF   BREAD  " 


THERE  is  no  sweeter  name  in  Palestine,  and 
bnt  few  sweeter  names  in  any  land  or 
tongue,  than  Bethlehem.  In  it  are  ten  thousand 
memories  of  joy  and  tenderness.  There  is  no 
pleasanter  ride  in  Palestine  than  that  between 
Jerusalem  and  Bethlehem.  The  distance  is  only 
about  six  miles  ;  the  road  is  practically  level, 
and  it  is  marked  by  more  evidences  of  industry 
and  prosperity  than  are  usual  in  Palestine.  All 
the  historical  allusions  connected  with  the  journey 
to  Bethlehem,  and  with  the  place  itself,  are  in- 
teresting and  instructive  to  an  unusual  degree. 
Once  more  we  start  from  the  Jaffa  Gate  ;  we  de- 
scend into  the  valley  of  Gihon,  crossing  it  at  the 
upper  end  of  the  lower  pool,  we  go  over  the  hill 
of  Evil  Counsel,  and  soon  are  on  the  broad  plain 
of  the  Giants.  In,  or  near,  the  valley  of  the 
Giants,  valley  of  Rephaim,  David  fought  many 
a  hard  fight,  twice  defeating  the  Philistines 
here.^  Over  this  plain  Solomon  often  drove  in 
splendor  to  his  pools  and  gardens.  The  valley 
is  a  broad,  cultivated  upland,  and  is  between 
four  and  five  miles  long.  On  our  left  hand, 
shortly  after  leaving  the  city,  we  have  the  tradi- 


*  2  Sam.  5  :  17-25  ;  23  :  13  ;  i  Chron.  II 


15,  16;  14  :  9-16. 
103 


104 


SUNDAY   NIGHT    I.KCTURKS 


'MX 
\ 


1;.' 


I 


1 


,•'71 


tional  tree  on  which  Judas  handed  himself ;  and 
also  the  country  house  of  Caiaphas,  the  hij;h 
priest.  The  boundary  between  Judah  and  Hen- 
janiin  is  here  crossed.  As  we  journeyed  toward 
Hethleheni,  it  was  interestinj^  to  remember  that 
j)robably  along  this  very  road  the  wise  men  from 
the  East  journeyed  when  they  left  Herod  in  Je- 
rusalem to  worship  the  true  King  in  the  manger 
at  Hethlehem.  Shortly  before  reaching  the  top 
of  the  long  rise  of  ground,  forming  part  of  the 
low  ridge  between  Jerusalem  and  Ik-thlehem,  we 
see  the  well  of  the  Magi,  as  it  is  called.  Tradi- 
tion informs  us  that  the  wise  men,  after  leaving 
Herod,  were  in  doubt  as  to  the  direction  which 
they  should  take,  and,  being  weary  with  their 
journey,  they  stopped  to  draw  water.  At  that 
moment,  to  their  equal  surprise  and  joy,  they 
saw  the  star  reflected  in  the  well.  With  fresh 
courage  and  complete  assurance,  they  followed 
the  star  "  until  it  stood  over  where  the  young 
child  was."  Reaching  the  top  of  the  long  hill, 
we  are  at  the  convent  known  as  Mar-IClyas  ;  this 
is  a  large  building  and  is  the  property  of  the 
Greek  Church.  There  is  a  legend  that  here 
Elijah  was  helped  by  the  angels  in  his  flight 
from  Jezebel.  Opposite  the  convent  is  a  rock 
in  which,  there  are  certain  depressions  made,  ac- 
cording 10  the  tradition,  by  the  body  of  Elijah 
when  he  lay  on  the  rock  during  his  flight  from 
the  wrath  of  Jezebel.  These  statements  are  pure 
traditions,  and  without  any  basis  in  historic  fact. 
It  is  much  more  probable  that  the  convent  is 
named  from  a  certain  Bishop  Elias,  who  was  its 


1' 


'i 


BKTHMUIKM— "IIOUSF.   OF   BREAD"       I05 


fomulcr,  and  that  the  Prophet  Elijah  has  no  real 
connection  wliatevcr  with  the  name.  At  this 
point  the  view  is  remarkably  interestinjr.  W^e 
were  j:jla(l  here  to  dismonnt  and  take  a  little  time 
in  look  in  jr  backward  to  Jernsalem  and  forward 
to  liethkhem.  From  this  ridj^c  both  places  are 
visible,— the  one  the  place  in  which  Christ  was 
born,  the  ofher  that  in  which  he  died.  The  pe- 
cnliar  transparency  of  the  atmosphere  in  Pales- 
tine makes  distance  very  deceptive.  Places  three 
to  five  miles  distant  seem  to  be  not  more  than 
half  a  mile.  From  the  same  canse  voices  can 
easily  be  heard  at  distances  so  ^reat  as  to  aston- 
ish those  accnstomed  to  live  in  the  clondy  at- 
mosphere of  most  countries. 

Descendinjr  the  hill  we  soon  reach  the  tomb  of 
Rachel.  The  building  over  the  tomb  is  modern, 
and  is  crowned  with  a  dome  ;  beneath  this  dome 
rest  the  ashes  of  Jacob's  beloved  Rachel.  It  is 
one  of  the  few  shrines  which  Moslems,  Jews, 
and  Christians  agree  in  honoring.  The  story  in 
Gen.  35  :  16-20,  giving  an  account  of  Rachel's 
death,  is  one  of  the  most  touching  in  any  his- 
tory.  After  the  lapse  of  thousands  of  years, 
years  of  sorrow  and  joy,  defeat  and  triumph,  the 
story  is  not  effaced  from  the  memory  of  Rachel's 
posterity.  Week  by  week  women  come  to  wail 
with  wild  expressions  of  grief  at  this  ancient 
tomb.  Nothing  can  be  more  touching  than  the 
account  of  Rachel's  death.  We  are  distinctly 
informed  that  as  her  soul  was  departing,  she 
called  the  name  of  her  new-born  son,  Benoni, 
son  of   my  sorrow;   but  his  father  called  him 


1 


■4 


1 06 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


'j'^i 


hV, 


W  '! 


Benjamin,  the  son  of  my  right  hand.  Then 
Rachel  died  ana  was  buried  in  the  way  to  Eph- 
rath,  which  is  Bethlehem  ;  and  Jacob  set  a  pil- 
lar upon  her  grave.  For  fourteen  long  years  he 
served  Laban  in  order  to  win  Rachel  as  his  bride ; 
and  these  years  seemed  to  him  but  a  few  days  be- 
cause of  the  tender  love  which  he  cherished  to- 
ward her.  After  long  and  weary  years  had  passed, 
and  the  old  man  was  nearing  his  end,  he  repeats 
with  touching  particularity  and  tlie  ttnderest 
pathos  the  details  of  her  death  and  burial.' 

A  short  distance  west  of  Racliel's  tomb  is  a 
village  named  Beit  Jala ;  it  has  a  population  of 
about  three  thousand,  mostly  Greek  Christians. 
It  is  also  the  residence  of  the  Latin  and  Greek 
patriarchs.  It  has  been  supposed  by  many  that 
this  is  the  ancient  Zelzah.  If  so,  it  was  here 
that  Saul  was  met  by  the  messengers  of  vSamuel, 
who  said  :  "  The  asses  which  tliou  wentest  to 
seek  are  found  ;  and  lo,  thy  father  hath  left  the 
care  of  the  asses,  and  sorroweth  for  thee,  saying, 
What  shall  I  do  for  my  son?"^  Soon  we  reach 
a  point  where  there  were  two  roads ;  the  one 
going  to  Bethlehem  and  the  other  to  Solomon's 
Pools.  The  name  is  taken  from  the  passage  in 
Eccl.  2  :  6,  "  I  made  me  pools  of  water."  We 
rode  to  the  pools,  and  they  are  worthy  of  a  visit. 
Without  doubt  before  long  the  old  channels  be- 
tween these  pools  and  the  city  will  be  repaired 
so  that  water  may  again  flow  as  in  the  early  day. 
Perhaps  it  was  here  that  the  "sealed  fountain" 


I  : 


»  Gen.  48  :  7. 


*  I  Sam.  10  :  2. 


<   -i 


BETHI.EHEM—"  HOUSE   OF   BREAD"       IQ/ 


of  Solomon's  Song  was  located.    These  pools  con- 
sist of  three  large  cisterns  of  marble  masonry ;  the 
basins  are  still  in  an  excellent  state  of  preserva- 
tion.    Parts  of   the  pools  donbtless  date   from 
Solomon's  time,  although  restored  by  Pontiis 
Pilate  and   others.     These   pools   formerly  fur- 
nished a  supply  of  water  for  Jerusalem  ;    now, 
however,  it  is  conveyed  only  to  Bethlehem.     But 
efforts  are  making  to  trace  the  course  of  the 
original  aqueduct,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say 
that  water  will  again  flow  along  this  ancient 
duct  to  Jerusalem.     The  pools  are  an  interesting 
object  for  all  tourists  and  should  be  visited  by 
them  if   possible.     Not   far   from  the  pools  of 
Solomon  is  the  valley  of   Etham,  the  modern 
Ur«:as.     Doctor  Fish,  Doctor  Bonar,  and  others, 
among  them  being  Mr.  IMeshullam,  a  Christian 
Jew,  who  has  lived  for  more  than  thirty  years  in 
the  village,  believe  that  this  is  the  true  lininiar.s 
to  which  the  two  disciples  were  retiring  when 
Jesus  overtook  them.     The  Ara])s  call  the  place 
El-Hammour,  meaning  "baths";  the  meaning 
of   Emmaus  is  "warm  spring,"  and  it  k  just 
about  the  right  distance  from  Jerusalem  as  de- 
scribed by  Luke.     Josephus  mentions  a  village 
just  about  this  distance.     Jerome  and  Eusebius, 
making  it  identical  with  the  Emmaus  on  the 
border  of  the  plain  of  Philistia,  afterward  called 
Nicopolis,  would   place  it  there.     Doctor  Rob- 
inson gives  the  weight  of  his  name  to  the  old 
theory,  but  the  distance  from  Jerusalem,  twenty 
miles,  is  fatal  to  it.     The  latest  theory,  if  tliat  of 
Doctor  Fish  be  not  accepted,  places  it  at  the 


i 


io8 


SUNDAY  NIGHT  LECTURES 


r;; 


11 


if 


n 


«• 


H 


present  El-Kubeibeh,  about  nine  miles  north- 
west of  Jerusalem.  Rector  Zscliokka,  of  the  Aus- 
trian pilgrim-house  at  Jerusalem,  takes  this  view 
in  an  able  monograph  on  this  subject. 

We  shortly  went  to  Bethlehem.  The  views 
of  Bethlehem,  as  the  ancient  town  is  approached, 
are  picturesque  in  the  extreme.  It  is  seen  to  be 
an  irregular  village  on  a  broken  and  rugged  hill. 
The  composite  character  of  the  church  of  the 
Nativity  and  the  convent,  leaves  one  for  a  time 
in  doubt  whether  he  is  approaching  a  castle  or 
a  church.  Undulating  hills  stand  around  the 
ancient  town ;  fig  and  olive  trees  ano  ^'ines  are 
seen  on  the  terraced  hills.  The  houses  are  of 
whitish  limestone.  The  roofs  of  some  of  them 
are  flat,  while  others  have  domes.  It  is  said 
there  are  but  about  three  hundred  to  four  hun- 
dred houses  and  the  population  is  about  five 
thousand.  The  people  are  usually  called  Chris- 
tians ;  but  the  name  is  simply  a  general  term 
to  indicate  that  they  are  neither  Jews  nor  Mo- 
hammedans. The  manufacture  of  rosaries,  trin- 
kets, and  souvenirs  of  various  kinds,  is  the  chief 
means  of  support.  We  can  readily  believe  that 
this  is  the  most  Christian  town  in  Palest  i  lie. 
The  people  have  the  reputation  of  being  tr  rhu- 
lent  as  well  as  handsome;  the  women  certainly 
are  among  the  finest-looking  in  the  whole  land. 
They  seem  to  be  more  European  than  Asiatic. 
Perhaps,  indeed,  they  are  European  rather  than 
Oriental.  Doubtless  some  of  them  are  the  re- 
mote descendants  of  the  crusaders  who  married 
native  women  and  remained  in  the  vicinity. 


/ 


BETHLEHEM — "HOUSE   OF   BREAD 


»5 


109 


i 

i 


As  we  approach  the  city  let  lis  refresh  our 
memories  with  Bible  references  to  Bethlehem. 
It  is  first  alluded  to  in  Scriptures  as  Ephratah. 
This  is  the  Hebrew  term  expressive  of  the 
fruitfulness  of  the  locality;  it  is  so  named  in 
connection  with  the  death  of  Rachel.  On 
yonder  plain  is  laid  the  pastoral  story  of  Ruth, 
who  gleaned  behind  the  reapers  in  the  fields  of 
Boaz.  Perhaps  near  yonder  city  gate  occurred 
the  quaint  procedure,  in  fulfillment  of  the  ^lo- 
saic  law,  when  Ruth  bee  uie  the  wife  of  Boaz, 
and  so  finally  the  mother  of  kings  and  of  the 
Saviour  of  the  world.  Here  David  was  anointed 
by  Samuel  to  be  king  of  Israel.  On  yonder 
hills  he  had  spent  his  youth  tending  sheep,  and 
these  glens  and  valleys  echoed  those  glorious 
songs,  which  have  since  sounded  through  the 
world.  It  has  been  supposed  that  the  family  of 
David  kept  possession  of  their  ancestral  lands 
on  the  hills  of  Bethlehem  until  the  birth  of 
Christ.  If  so,  Jostph,  in  going  with  Mary  from 
Nazareth  to  Bethlehem,  was  literally  going  to 
his  own  house,  because  he  was  of  the  house 
and  lineage  of  David.  It  has  been  conjectured 
that  the  habitation  or  house  of  Chimham '  was 
originall_;  the  dwelling-place  of  Boaz,  then  of 
Jesse,  and  so  of  the  family  and  descendants 
of  David.  It  may  thus  have  been  the  khan 
or  inn  to  which  Joseph  and  IMary  came.  The 
birth  of  great  David's  greater  Son  has  given 
Bethlehem  its  glory  and  immortality.     Because 


»  Jer.  41  :  17. 


i 


no 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   I^ECTURES 


I. 


t  ■    I 


{\  ■ 

■[■ 


!«■  i  V 
f'-l 


here  the  Christ  was  born  the  name  of  Bethle- 
hem is  sung  at  the  Christmas-tide  by  thousands 
of  children  round  the  globe,  and  will  be  sung 
so  long  as  time  shall  last/ 

Yonder,  a  mile  east  of  the  town,  is  the  plain 
of  the  shepherds.  From  this  spot  the  heavenly 
minstrelsies  broke  forth ;  here  the  stars  looked 
down  on  the  scene  of  the  wondrous  birth,  and 
if  they  sang  at  the  world's  creation,  might  they 
not  sing  at  its  redemption?  What  prophecies 
were  here  fulfilled !  What  hopes  were  here 
born ;  what  glories  illumined  the  night  with 
their  heavenly  splendors ;  what  influences  have 
gone  hence  to  save  this  sinful  world !  One 
might  fill  a  volume  with  the  thoughts  suggested 
by  the  name  of  Bethlehem.  Most  fitting  was  it 
that  he  who  was  the  Bread  of  heaven  should  be 
born  in  the  town  Bethlehem— house  of  bread. 

The  Church  of  the  Nativity. — This 
church  stands  on  the  traditional  spot  of  the 
illustrious  birth.  There  are  ancient  traditions 
that  Christ  was  born  in  a  cave  or  grotto  near 
'vhich  was  the  inn  of  Bethlehem,  in  which  there 
was  no  room  for  the  weary  travelers  on  this 
eventful  occasion.  Justin  Martyr  places  the 
scene  of  the  nativity  in  a  cave.  The  church 
erected  over  the  alleged  place  of  the  birth  is  a 
fortress-like  pile  of  buildings,  including  three 
convents ;  one  belonging  to  the  Latin,  one  to 
the  Greek,  and  one  to  the  Armenian  Church.     It 

•  Micah  5  :  2. 


y 


ti.., 


I 


bkthuviip:m — "house  of  brkad  "     iii 


stands  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  village. 
The  bnildincr  is  one  hnndred  and  twenty  by  one 
hundred  and  ten  feet.  It  was  erected  by  Hel- 
ena, the  mother  of  Constantine,  in  the  year 
327.  The  nave  of  the  church  is  the  common 
property  of  Christians  of  every  name.  It  is  said 
to  be  "  the  oldest  monument  of  Christian  archi- 
tecture in  the  world."  It  is  probably  all  that 
now  remains  of  the  Basilica  erected  by  Helena. 
As  the  property  of  all  Christians  in  general,  it 
is  that  of  no  sect  in  particular,  and  this  fact 
may  account  for  its  neglected  appearance.  In 
this  ancient  edifice,  once  brilliant  with  colored 
marbles  and  fine  gold,  Baldwin  was  crowned 
as  king  of  Jerusalem.  He  was  the  youngest 
brother  of  Godfrey  of  Bouillon ;  but  while  God- 
frey was  a  disinterested  enthusiast,  Baldwin  was 
worldly  and  ambitious.  It  is  said  that  "the 
last  repairs  on  the  building  were  executed  by 
Edward  IV.  of  England."  The  church  contains 
five  rows  of  marble  columns,  each  column  being 
a  monolith,  and  some  of  them  probably  once 
belonging  to  Solomon's  temple.  The  roof  is 
of  cedar  taken  from  Lebanon.  We  descend  a 
spiral  staircase  a  distance  of  perhaps  twenty  feet 
below  the  floor  of  the  church,  and  reach  the 
chapel  or  grotto  of  the  nativity,  which  is  a  cave 
in  the  rock  over  which  the  church  was  erected. 
We  enter  a  vault  thirty-three  feet  by  eleven,  en- 
cased with  Italian  marbles  and  decorated  with 
embroidery  and  ornaments  of  many  kinds.  We 
now  approach  a  spot  of  peculiar  sacredness.  In 
the  pavement  is  a  marble  slab  in  which  is  set  a 


i 


,v  ■ 


I  1^ 


hi 


r 


iiN  < 


(f 


.( 


;  I 


112 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


silver  star,  as  indicating  the  exact  place  of  our 
Lord's  birth.  It  is  not  surprising  that  pilgrims 
kneel  in  reverence  on  or  beside  this  star,  and 
kiss  the  star  and  the  marble  in  which  it  is  set. 
Around  the  star  is  this  inscription :  "  Ilic  de 
Virgine  Maria  Jcsiis  CJwistns  natiis  csty  Above 
this  star  sixteen  silver  lamps  continually  burn. 
Of  these,  six  belong  to  the  Greek  Church,  five 
to  the  Latin,  and  five  to  the  Armenian.  Fierce 
fights  have  often  taken  place  at  the  very  spot 
where  the  Prin^^e  of  Peace  was  born.  Not  long 
ago  a  representative  of  the  Greek  Church  came 
into  savage  conflict  with  a  priest  of  the  Roman 
Church  at  this  place.  Firearms  were  immedi- 
ately drawn,  and  the  Roman  priest  was  shot. 
The  case  became  a  somewhat  celebrated  one,  but 
the  prisoner  mysteriously  escaped  and  was  never 
brought  to  trial.  Such  conduct  is  a  sad  com- 
mentary on  human  nature  as  manifested  at  the 
place  of  our  Lord's  birth. 

The  incarnation  of  Christ  is  the  greatest  mys- 
tery in  human  history.  If  we  grant  the  manger 
at  Bethlehem,  all  else  in  the  life  of  our  Lord 
was  to  be  expected.  Here  it  was  that  the  Word 
became  flesh ;  here  it  was  that  divinity  was  hu- 
manized in  order  that  humanity  might  be  divin- 
ized ;  here  it  was  that  the  Son  of  God  became  a 
Son  of  man  that  the  sons  of  men  might  become 
sons  of  God.  There  is  no  more  impressive  and 
suggestive  place  beneath  the  heavens  than  this 
star  which  indicates  the  alleged  place  of  Christ's 
birth.  Perhaps  there  is  no  good  reason  for  our 
doubting  that  this  is  the  exact  spot  of  the  mighti- 


>  '  i    \ 


t 


our 


BETlILEIIlvM — "IIOUSK   OF   BREAD"        I13 


est  event  of  which  our  sinful  world  has  been  the 
theatre. 

Other  Interesting  Sites.— Not  far  distant 
from  the  spot  we  have  been  considering  is  the 
chapel  of  the  Clanger  Here,  according  to  tra- 
dition, the  wooden  manger  is  said  to  have  been 
discovered.  This  manger  is  now  in  the  church 
of  St.  ]\Iaria  IMaggiore  at  Rome.  Near  this  is 
the  altar  of  the  JNIagi,  which  marks  the  ..pot 
where  the  wise  men  presented  their  gifts.  Here 
are  the  chapel  of  Joseph,  indicating  where  he 
retired  at  the  time  of  the  holy  birth,  and  where 
the  angel  appeared  connnanding  the  flight  into 
Egypt ;  and  the  altar  of  the  Innocents.  Tradi- 
tion tells  us  that  thousands  of  the  children  slain 
by  Herod  were  buried  here  ;  but  there  never  was 
a  greater  error  than  to  suppose  that  thousands, 
or  hundreds,  or  even  scores  of  children  were  slain 
by  Herod.  A  careful  interpretation  of  all  the 
facts  will  probably  show  that  there  could  not 
have  been  more  than  ten  or  twelve  children  of 
the  age  described  in  the  neighborhood.  Tliere 
is  not  space  here  to  go  into  details,  but  one  haz- 
ards no  risk  in  afTirming  that  probably  at  the 
outside,  not  more  than  ten  or  a  dozen  children 
were  slain  by  Herod.  Infidels  have  savagely 
criticised  the  Bible  narrative,  as  if  it  were  re- 
sponsible for  the  enormous  exaggerations  of 
irresponsible  medieval  monks  and  saints. 

Not  far  distant  is  the  so-called  tomb  of  Eu- 
sebius,  but  much  doubt  must  always  be  associ- 
ated w4th  its  authenticity.     Near  to  the  birth- 

H 


■'■i 

■     ^ 

i'  * 


'Ml 


, 


I 


V't    i 


fp 


V» 


t        ; 


'•i'; 


-ir 


114 


SUNDAY  NIGHT   LECTURES 


place  of  our  Lord  is  the  chapel  and  tomb  of  St. 
Jerome.  Here  he  spent  thirty  of  his  declining- 
years,  believing  that  all  the  wliile  the  peals  of 
the  last  judgment  trump  were  sounding  in  his 
ears.  Dean  Stanley  in  his  "  Sinai  and  Palestine  " 
gives  a  thrilling  description  of  these  long  years 
of  toils  and  tears,  of  prayers  and  penances.  Here 
Jerome  wrote  his  books  and  spent  his  time  in 
the  greatest  austerities.  He  was  the  only  one 
of  the  many  monks  sheltered  in  this  grotto  since 
the  time  of  Constantine,  as  Dean  Stanley  reminds 
us,  whose  name  has  traveled  through  the  world. 
Here  he  dreamed,  studied,  prayed,  and  fasted ; 
here  he  gathered  round  him,  in  small  commu- 
nities, devoted  followers  who  became  the  centers 
of  conventual  life  in  Palestine.  Here  the  fiery 
.spirit  of  his  Dalmatian  birthplace  found  expres- 
sion in  translations,  commentaries,  and  letters. 
From  this  lonely  cave  he  sent  forth  influences 
which  to  some  degree  have  shaped  the  religious 
and  philosophical  thinking  of  the  world.  His 
great  work,  however,  was  his  famous  translation 
of  the  Scriptures,  which  is  still  the  "  Biblia  Vtd- 
gata^''  of  the  Latin  Church.  Dean  Stanley  calls 
special  attention  to  that  most  pathetic  scene,  his 
last  communion  and  death,  at  which  all  the 
world  has  been  in  a  sense  present  through  the 
wonderful  painting  of  Domenichino.  The  great 
painter  has  given  us  a  vivid  representation  of  the 
exhausted  frame  and  sinking  flesh  and  conse- 
crated spirit  of  Jerome  pluming  itself  for  its 
flight  to  the  skies. 

Leaving  Bethlehem,  we  visit  on  the  way  back 


\ 


:i- 


BKTIILHHEM — "HOUSE  OF  BREAD"       1 15 


his 


to  Jerusalem  the  well  of  Bethlehem,  or  David's 
Well.     It  is  the  place  referred  to  in  2  Sam.  23  : 
13-17.     It  will  be  remembered  that  when  David 
and  his  men  were  in  the  cave  of  Adnllam,  David 
longed  for  a  drink  from  this  well,  saying:  "Oh 
that  one  would  give  me  drink  of  the  water  of  the 
well  of  Beth-lehem,  which  is  by  the  gate."     But 
Betlilehem    was  garrisoned    by   the   Philistines. 
Three  brave  men  heard  David's  wish,  and  with 
great   heroism    dashed    through   the    Philistine 
ranks  and  soon  returned,   bringing  David  the 
water  for  which  he  had  longed.     With  a  chiv- 
alry worthy  of  all  praise,  David  would  not  drink 
the  water,  to  procure  which  his  followers  had 
risked  their  lives,  but  he  poured  it  out  as  an 
offering  unto  the  Lord.     Not  far  distant  is  the 
Milk  Grotto,  with  its  legends  of  the  infant  Jesus 
and  his  mother.     Yonder  is  a  shepherd  going 
before  his  sheep,  calling  them  by  name  and  lead- 
ing them  out,  perhaps  from  the  very  snot  where 
shepherds  heard  the  notes  of  angelic  so\ig  on  the 
night  that  Christ  was  born. 

We  hasten  back  to  Jerusalem.  The  sun  is 
nearing  its  setting.  Lepers  with  their  wild  tones 
and  shriveled  forms  meet  us  asking  alms.  This 
has  been  a  wonderful  afternoon ;  never,  never 
shall  I  forget  the  afternoon  of  the  twenty-eighth 
of  September,  1895,  when  I  stood  over  the  silver 
star  which  marks  the  place  of  the  birth  of  Jesus 
Christ,  Son  of  man.  Son  of  God,  Child  of  the 
manger,  and  Ancient  of  days. 


I','  il) , 

1 

'{I  li 

I  ■ 


,5- 

IV, / 


if 


/;',' 


X 


FROM   JERUSAI.EM   TO  JERICHO 

WE  tiow  pass  out  of  Jerusalem  through  St. 
Stephen's  (kite  and  descend  into  the 
valley  of  Kedron  ;  and  passing  the  garden  of 
Gethseniane,  we  soon  bear  upward  over  a  de- 
pression of  the  Mount  of  Olives.  This  moun- 
tain is  now  called  Jebel-et-Tur.  It  is  a  ridge 
two  miles  long,  running  north  on  the  east  side 
of  Jerusalem,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the 
Kedron  Valley.  It  rises  two  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  feet  above  the  IMeditcrranean, 
and  a1)out  three  thousand  five  hundred  feet  above 
the  Jordan  Valley,  only  fifteen  miles  distant. 
There  are  many  tombs  cut  in  the  rocks  on  the 
side  of  the  mountain.  Perhaps  there  is  no  spot 
on  the  whole  globe  which  unites  so  glorious  a 
view  with  so  many  solemn  and  sublime  memo- 
ries. Up  this  mountain  David  climbed  when 
fleeing  from  Absalom,  and  over  it  he,  who  was 
David's  son  and  David's  Lord,  often  passed 
going  to  and  from  Jerusalem. 

The  spot  is  finally  reached  where  Christ,  on 
the  day  of  his  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem, 
wept  over  the  doomed  city.  Passing  toward 
Bethany  we  soon  arrive  at  the  place  pointed  out 
as  that  where  the  fig  tree  stood  on  which  Jesus 
ii6 


If'; 


n: 


> 


FROM   JKRrSAI.KM   TO  JKRICIIO  I17 

pronounced  his  anathema  because  of  its  fruit- 
Icssuess.  Like  the  Jevvisli  nation,  it  was  guilty 
of  hypocrisy ;  it  flaunted  its  foliaj^e,  but  was  en- 
tirely without  fruit.  With  certain  varieties  of 
fif^  trees  the  new  leaf  never  appears  until  the 
fruit  is  at  least  partly  ripened.  This  I-jafy  tree, 
therefore,  j^ave  promise  of  an  abundance  of  fruit 
which  it  did  not  possess.  Yonder  is  the  place 
where  it  is  supposed  that  Lcthphage,  "  house  of 
figs,"  was  located.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
this  was  the  hamlet  to  which  Jesus  sent  his 
disciples  to  "find  an  ass  tied."  This  place  is 
now  practically  a  houseless  ruin. 

We  now  press  forward  to  Bethany.  This 
town  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  eastern  slope 
of  Mount  Olivet,  about  two  miles  southeast  of 
Jerusalem,  on  the  road  to  Jericho.  We  see  first 
a  rocky  knoll  where  are  several  ancient  graves, 
and  where  probably  was  the  grave  of  Lazarus; 
that  grave  was  not  in  the  village  of  Bethany. 
The  vScripture  narrative  clearly  points  to  this 
place;  we  are  told  that  it  was  a  cave,  and  a 
stone  lay  upon  it ;  by  this  language  we  are  to 
understand  that  a  stone  lay  over  its  mouth.  The 
dragoman  or  a  local  guide  will  point  out  a  grave 
which  is  said  to  be  that  of  Lazarus.  Was  it 
really  to  this  grave  that  Christ  pointed  when  he 
said,  "  Take  ye  away  the  stone  "  ?  Was  it  here 
that  Christ  stood  in  the  hushed  silence,  raising 
his  eyes  to  heaven  and  then  saying,  with  sub- 
lime authority,  "  Lazarus,  come  forth  "  ?  Was 
it  on  this  soil  that  Lazarus  stood  when  he  came 
forth  from  his  grave  bound  hand  and  foot  ?     Did 


ii8 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   UKCTURKS 


<    .( 


»i|  / 


he  live,  as  tradition  affirms,  tliirty  years  after- 
ward in  yonder  Bethany  home?  Qnestions  like 
these  force  themselves  npon  ns  as  we  tread  tliis 
soil  or  stand  amid  the  hallowed  scenes  of  this 
historic  village.  liethany  is  now  a  town  of 
thirty  or  forty  families ;  it  is  a  place  withont 
thrift,  withont  indnstry,  withont  intelligence, 
and  so  withont  prosperity.  Its  villagers  are  al- 
most all  Moslems,  and  Moslems  of  a  pecnliarly 
bitter  and  bigoted  type.  A  few  of  tlie  honses 
are  certainly  old,  as  is  shown  by  the  large  and 
beveled  stones  bnilt  into  their  walls.  All  trav- 
elers and  writers  are  agreed  that  these  stones 
clearly  belong  to  some  ancient  edifice,  and  have 
probably  been  nsed  many  times  in  tlie  eonstrnc- 
tion  of  snccessive  bnildings.  The  -  '  1  tower  on 
the  hill  is  particnlarly  noticeable.  ^e  present 
name  of  the  place  is  El-Azariyeh  ;  tins  name  is 
a  corrnption  of  the  name  Lazarns.  Some,  how- 
ever, claim  that  the  trne  form  of  the  word  is 
I^azarieh  ;  if  this  is  the  trne  form,  the  connec- 
tion with  Lazarus  is  very  marked.  The  mean- 
ing of  the  word  Bethany,  as  is  generally  snp- 
posed,  is  "  honse  of  dates  " ;  bnt  some  derive  it 
from  a  word  meaning  "  honse  of  sorrow."  It  is 
admitted  that  the  etymology  of  the  word  is  still 
an  nnsettled  qnestion.  The  present  name  is  a 
memorial  of  the  miracle  wronght  by  Christ  in 
the  raising  of  Lazarns  from  the  dead.  Even  to 
this  honr,  amid  the  rnins  of  this  ancient  village, 
there  is  still  a  snggestion  of  the  calmness  and 
restfulness  which  we  have  long  associated  with 
the  place.     Few  places  in  the  New  Testament 


FROM   JKRUSALEM   TO  JKRICIIO  1 19 


history  are  more  snpjTcstive  of  tender  memories 
than  is  Bethany.  Gronps  of  people  may  still  be 
seen  at  the  eventide  returninjr  to  this  quiet  vil- 
lage from  the  busier  scenes  of  the  neighboring 
city.     Bethany  is, 

Not  wholly  in  the  busy  world,  nor  quite 
Beyond  it. 

One  can  readily  imagine  that  here  our  Lord 
found  the  restful  seclusion  which  made  Bethany 
a  place  of  frequent  resort.  Mary's  act  in  anoint- 
ing the  precious  body  of  Jesus  with  the  contents 
of  her  alabaster  box,  makes  the  place  fragrant 
to  this  hour  with  the  memory  of  her  loving  act. 
The  odor  of  that  ointment  has  filled  the  world. 
Vases  of  alabaster  are  still  made  for  holding 
perfumes.  It  is  said  that  the  mouth  is  filled 
with  cotton  and  then  melted  wax  is  poured 
over  the  cotton  to  exclude  the  air.  It  was  this 
stopple  which  Mary  broke,  as  Dr.  Fish  reminds 
us,  and  not  the  vase  itself.  Lazarus  is  now 
dead,  Martha  is  no  more  "  cumbered  with  much 
serving,"  and  Mary  no  longer  sits  here  at  the 
Master's  feet ;  but  Christ  still  lives,  and  Mary's 
act  in  anointing  him  beforehand  for  his  burial 
still  sweetens  the  whole  atmosphere  of  this  di- 
lapidated village,  even  as  it  adds  a  new  charm  to 
her  character  and  to  the  beautiful  Scripture 
narrative. 

Another  event  makes  this  vicinity  famous 
forever.  We  shall  not  forget  that  on  this  deso- 
late upland,  and  perhaps  at  a  point  immediately 
overlooking  the  village,  Jesus  took  his  departure 


■p»pli 


ft'  « 


T20 


SUNDAY  NIGHT   LECTURES 


id 


from  t'lc  earth  on  his  return  to  heaven.  The 
place  pointed  out  by  tradition  on  the  Mount  of 
Olives  as  that  of  the  ascension,  no  one  considers 
to  be  the  true  location  of  this  great  event ;  and 
probably  it  was  not  intended  at  first  that  any 
one  should  so  consider  it.  It  was  selected,  not 
because  it  was  supposed  to  be  the  actual  place, 
but  simply  that  it  might  commemorate  the  actual 
occurrence.  Here  on  the  eastern  declivity  of 
the  Mount  of  Olives,  sheltered  by  gently  swell- 
ing hills  and  apart  from  other  sights  and  sounds, 
our  Lord  had  his  last  interview  with  his  dis- 
ciples. We  are  distinctly  told  that  "  he  led  them 
out  as  far  as  to  Bethany."  Then  he  delivered  to 
them  his  final  commission,  and  as  they  stood 
about  him  "  while  he  blest  them,  he  was  parted 
from  them,  and  carried  up  into  heaven."  All  the 
laws  of  gravitation  yielded  him  homage  as  their 
creator  and  preserver.  He  began  to  rise — he  rose 
higher  and  higher  ;  and  the  disciples  watched 
him  with  strange  wonder  and  great  reverence 
until  the  cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight. 
How  wonderfully  real  was  the  story  of  the  ascen- 
sion as  we  stood  on  this  memorable  spot !  It  is 
most  unfortunate  that  the  peak  of  the  ]\Iount  of 
Olives  should  ever  have  been  chosen  as  the  site 
of  the  ascension  ;  if  only  we  bear  in  mind  the 
words  already  quoted  regarding  Bethany,  we  can 
readily  see  that  the  ascension  could  not  have 
taken  place  from  the  top  of  Olivet.  One  e  more 
th*^  sig'it  of  the  disciples  as  "  they  looked  stead- 
fastly toward  heaven,"  and  once  more  the  sight 
of  the  heavenly  messengers  in  white  apparel, 


'  t 


!   i 


FROM  JERUSALEM   TO  JERICHO  121 


assuring  the  disciples  that  Jesiis  would  come 
again  "  in  like  manner  as  ye  have  seen  hiin  go 
into  heaven,"  was  present  to  our  thought  as  we 
turned  away  from  this  sacred  spot  to  continue 
our  journey. 

Down  to  Jericho.— Our  Lord  was  wonder- 
fully exact  in  all  his  uses  of  speech.     He  con- 
formed to  the  usages  of  his  time  so  far  as  they 
were  in  harmony  with  truth.     When  in  his  fa- 
miliar parable  he  tells  us  that  "a  certain  man 
went   down   from   Jerusalem   to   Jericho,'"    he 
speaks  with  absolute  accuracy.     Between  these 
two  places  there  is  a  literal  descent  of  nearly 
four  thousand  feet.     Leaving  Bethany  the  coun- 
try slopes  in  a  succession  of  naked  hills  of  white 
limestone  and  dreary  glens  for  about  ten  miles. 
Then  what  is  properly  called  the  valley  of  the 
Jordan  is  reached.     Desolation  liere  reigns  ;  all 
about  us  is  a  wilderness  stern  and  dreary ;  all 
about  us  are  barren  rocl-s  and  numerous  hills. 
It   is   common  for   u^   to  associate   the   idea  of 
abundant  vegetation  with  the  word  wilderness, 
but  according  to  the  Jewish  idea,  a  wilderness 
was   largely  a   place   of   desolation.      Here   we 
have  a  jumble  of  villages,  hills,  and  ragged  ra- 
vines.    For  weary  miles  there  is  little  except 
ledges  of    limestone  rocks,   glaring  in   the  sun 
and  seldom  relieved  by  a  tree  or  by  even  a  sin- 
gle blade  of  grass.     There  is  little  to  support 
wild  beasts  or  even  birds  in  this  desolate  region ; 

'  I,uke  lo  :  30. 


m 


122 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


«   ft 


K'r 


indeed,  it  has  been  said  that  birds  could  scarcely 
find  here  material  enough  with  which  to  build 
their  nests.  Vividly  conies  to  the  thought  the 
picture  of  John  the  Baptist,  clothed  with  camel's 
hair  and  a  girdle  of  skins  about  his  loins  and 
"  as  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness." 
Travelers  have  often  likened  this  region  to  what 
the  ocean  would  become  if,  when  its  waves  were 
rolling  mountains  high  and  in  wildest  confusion, 
it  should  be  suddenly  congealed  and  finally 
petrified. 

Through  this  desolate  region  the  road  to  Jeri- 
cho passes.  Remains  of  Roman  times  are  seen 
where  the  roads  were  cut  through  the  barriers 
of  lofty  rocks.  We  are  now  passing  the  spot 
where  our  Lord  locates  the  scene  of  the  parable 
of  the  Good  Samaritan  and  of  the  man  who  fell 
among  theives.  Here  again  we  see  how  fully 
Jesus  appreciated  the  fitness  of  things,  and  how 
skillfully  he  harmonized  the  physical  peculiari- 
ties of  places  with  the  spiritual  purposes  which 
he  desired  to  accomplish  in  his  parables.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  find  in  Palestine  a  worse 
place  than  this  in  which  to  meet  a  robber ;  in 
order  to  find  a  worse  place  it  would  be  necessary 
to  go  beyond  the  Jordan.  Even  to  this  hour 
skulking  Arabs  have  their  homes  in  the  caves 
and  on  the  cliffs  in  this  vicinity.  Doctor  Fish, 
to  whom  I  have  already  referred,  tells  us  that 
while  he  was  passing  through  this  wild  region, 
he  was  met  by  seven  or  eight  Bedouins,  all  armed 
with  matchlocks,  and  presenting  a  ferocious  ap- 
pearance.    One  of  them  seized  his  horse  by  the 


*  ( 


FROM  JERUSALEM   TO  JERICHO  1 23 


n 


ip- 


bit,  but  they  offered  him  no  further  harm  tliau 
arousing  him  to  the  fact  that  danger  was  near  if 
he  fell  behind  his  company  while  passing  through 
these  wild  gorges.  Here  is  a  khan,  pointed  out  as 
the  inn  in  which  the  wounded  man  of  our  Lord's 
parable  found  needed  care.  Soon  the  tra\eler 
reaches  the  probable  "brook  Cherith,  that  is 
before  Jordan."  Here,  as  we  know,  Elijah  was 
concealed  from  the  wrath  of  Ahab,  and  here  the 
ravens  brought  him  bread  and  flesh  in  the  morn- 
ing and  in  the  evening  ;  probably  securing  both, 
as  has  been  suggested,  from  the  neighboring  idol 
altars.  Here  "he  drank  of  this  brook"  until  it 
dried  up.^  Here  too  is  the  valley  Achor,  where 
the  Israelites  stoned  the  guilty  Achan.  This 
valley  extends  from  Gilgal  toward  Bethel.  And 
through  this  gorge  the  Israelites  entered  Canaan. 
Almost  every  spot  in  this  rugged  defile  is  voice- 
ful  with  historic  facts  regarding  the  histoiy  of 
the  Israelites  in  the  earlier  or  the  later  day. 

We  now  reach  the  Jordan  Plain.  The  air  is 
burning  hot,  and  the  quivering  haze  makes  all 
about  us  somewhat  dreamy  and  indistinct.  We 
are  far  below  the  level  of  the  Mediterranean 
Sea.  Neither  the  Jericho  of  Joshua's  day  nor 
that  of  Christ's  day  is  now  here;  these  two 
Jerichos  were  more  than  a  mile  apart,  but  both 
have  now  disappeared.  Elisha's  Fountain  marks 
the  site  of  the  first  Jericlio.  This  fountain  is  an 
immense  reservoir,  being  six  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  feet  by  four  hundred  and  ninety  feet.     A 

•  I  Kings  17  ;  6. 


li'ji 

I'  '  i 

m 

■  lU 


t 


u 


n 


Hi 


^:i 


«^V 


H) 


\l 


124 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


copious  Spring  bursts  from  the  base  of  the 
mound,  around  which  are  scattered  bits  of  pot- 
tery and  foundations  of  former  buildings.  The 
water  is  cool  and  sweet.  In  this  neighborhood 
once  stood  a  great  city ;  hither  came  the  spies 
from  the  plains  of  Moab.  Yonder  is  the  moun- 
tain where  on  the  advice  of  Rahab  they  hid 
themselves  for  three  days.  Around  the  city 
which  then  stood  here  marched  the  Israelites  for 
seven  days  in  obedience  to  the  divine  command. 
There  stood  the  walls  which  fell  down  flat  before 
the  shout  of  the  people  of  God.  Here  once  was 
the  school  of  the  prophets  to  which  Elijah  and 
Elisha  came  from  Bethel.  Once  more  we  see 
our  Lord  coming  to  the  new  Jericho,  and  lodg- 
ing with  Zaccheus  the  publican  ;  once  more  we 
see  him  accompanied  by  the  pilgrim^:  to  the  Pass- 
over as  he  stops  and  heals  the  blind  man.  How 
these  historic  scenes  again  live  and  move  in  our 
thought ;  how  real  all  these  events  become  as 
we  associate  them  with  the  places  in  which  they 
occurred.  Truly  the  land  illustrates  the  Book, 
and  truly  the  Book  conveys  the  exact  facts  in- 
separably associated  with  the  land. 

From  Cleopatra,  the  wily  tyrant  Herod  the 
Great  rented  the  revenues  of  this  region,  then 
beautiful  with  palm  groves  and  balsam  gardens. 
Indeed,  one  meaning  of  the  word  Jericho  is 
"  Place  of  fragrance,"  although  some  of  the 
older  commentators  derive  it  from  a  word  mean- 
ing the  moon.  Antony  gave  this  region  and  its 
valuable  products  to  Cleopatra,  thus  indicating 
the  potent  charm  which  this  beautiful  woman 


i\ 


M!  ■ 


FROM   JERUSALEM    TO  JERICHO 


125 


exercised  over  the  brave  but  weak  Roman. 
Herod  the  Great  made  Jericho  a  magnificent 
city,  and  here  it  was  that  this  monster  of 
iniquity  died.- 

To-day  the  modern  name  of  Jericho  is  Riha. 
It  is  a  wretched  village  of  about  two  hundred 
miserable  people.  The  village  has  been  called 
"the  meanest  and  foulest  of  Palestine."  It  con- 
sists of  dilapidated  mud  huts,  which  are  covered 
with  thorn  bushes,  though  lately  the  place  has 
been  somewhat  improved.  Its  people  are  the 
mongrel  race  hated  by  all  classes  of  Arabians ; 
they  are  given  over,  it  is  said,  to  vices  of  the 
most  degrading  character.  The  women  of  the 
village  go  to  the  camps  of  travelers  and  give  a 
rude  entertainment  accompanied  by  music  and 
dancing.  They  are  hideous-looking  creatures ; 
their  leader  waves  a  naked  short  sword,  and  they 
all  join  in  a  sort  of  Indian  war-whoop.  The 
purpose  of  the  entertainment  is  to  secure  back- 
sheesh. These  shameless  women  and  worthless 
men  and  this  group  of  mud  huts  are  all  that 
remain  of  the  city  which  Joshua  conquered,  the 
city  where  Cleopatra  reveled,  the  city  where 
Herod  riotously  reigned;  and  tlie  city  where  our 
Lord  performed  his  deeds  ot  mercy.  His  mira- 
cles of  love  are  the  only  memory  which  makes 
this  vicinity  still  the  "place  of  fragrance." 

Somewhere  in  this  neighborhood  was  the  an- 
cient Gilgal ;  this,  it  will  be  remembered,  was 
the  site  of  the  first  camp  of  the  Israelites  after 
they  crossed  the  Jordan.  Here  they  passed  their 
first  night  on  the  west  side  of  the  river ;  here  the 


126 


SUNDAY  NIGHT  LECTURES 


<«(.<' 


n 


iti  n 


twelve  stones  were  set  up,  which  had  been  taken 
from  the  bed  of  the  stream  ;  and  here  they  kept 
their  first  Passover  in  the  land  of  Canaan.  The 
name  means  "the  rolling,"  because  of  the  ob- 
servance of  the  rite  of  circumcision  which  had 
been  neglected  so  far  as  concerned  the  Israelites 
who  had  been  born  during  tlie  wilderness  jour- 
Hvjy.  It  is  supposed  that  the  name  has  reference 
to  this  passage :  "  This  day  have  I  rolled  away 
the  reproach  of  Egypt  from  off  you  "  ; '  but  it  is 
difficult  to  see  how  this  derivation  will  apply  to 
the  other  Gilgals,  and  it  is  possible  that  the  name 
is  the  adaptation  of  an  earlier  word  of  another 
language  to  a  Hebrew  form.  A  ride  of  an  hour 
and  a  half  takes  the  traveler  from  Jericho  to  tlie 
Jordan.  The  Latin  bathing-place  is  seven  miles 
from  the  Dead  Sea ;  that  of  the  Greeks  is  two 
miles  farther  north.  The  Latin  bathing-place  is 
generally  exhibited  as  the  place  of  Christ's  bap- 
tism, the  place  where  the  Israelites  crossed  the 
river,  and  also  the  place  of  other  great  events  in 
the  history  of  this  ancient  people.  Thrilling 
emotions  sweep  the  soul  as  one  stands  for  the 
first  time  on  the  banks  of  the  veritable  Jordan, 
the  sacred  river  of  the  Holy  Land.  What 
stupendous  events  have  occurred,  we  may  be- 
lieve, on  this  very  spot !  From  this  point  the 
swollen  waters  at  the  springtime  rolled  back  to 
permit  Israel  to  cross  over  dry-shod.  Here  Elijah 
smote  the  waters  with  his  mantle,  and  they 
parted  to  permit  him  and  Elisha  to  pass  while 


•'.H 


»  Josh.  5  :  9. 


U 


FROM   JKRUSAI^KM   TO  JERICHO  127 

the  former  was  on  his  way  to  glory  and  to  God. 
Here  the  waters  parted  again  when  Klisha  smote 
them  with  the  mantle  of  Elijah.  Somewhere  in 
this  vicinity  the  borrowed  axe,  used  and  lost  by 
a  stalwart  theological  student,  rose  and  floated 
on  the  stream  when  touched  by  the  wood  at  the 
command  of  Elisha.  Here  the  waters  were  con- 
secrated by  the  most  glorious  event  the  Jordan 
had  ever  witnessed — the  baptism  of  the  Son  of 
God.  On  this  august  occasion  all  the  Persons  of 
the  blessed  Trinity  were  either  audibly  or  visibly 
present.  The  Father  was  present  by  an  audible 
voice,  the  Son  was  present  in  human  form,  and 
the  Spirit  in  the  form  of  a  dove.  This  is  the 
one  instance  in  the  Bible  when  all  the  Persons 
of  the  Trinity  are  described  as  thus  audibly  or 
visibly  present,  although  their  presence  is  im- 
plied in  several  passages.  The  dove  still  abounds 
in  this  region,  and  the  willows  fringing  the 
sacred  stream  are  still  its  favorite  haunts.  No 
more  beautiful  place  for  the  baptism  of  Jesus 
could  be  selected;  and  here  thousands  of  pil- 
grims still  come  during  passion  week  to  be  bap- 
tized in  the  Jordan,  confessing  their  sins.  May 
we  be  ready  in  all  things  to  obey  the  commands 
and  to  follow  the  example  of  our  divine  I^ord  and 
Redeemer. 


<t 


i 


'M: 


ITH' 


1 1 


XI 


THE   DEAD  SEA 

THE  Dead  Sea  is  the  largest  lake  in  Pales- 
tine, and  it  is,  historically  and  physically, 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  sheets  of  water  in 
the  world.  In  going  from  Jernsalem  to  Jericho 
one  may  pass  in  a  few  honrs  from  winter  into 
snmmer,  from  a  temperate  to  a  tropical  climate. 
In  January,  1884,  as  Sir  J.  W,  Dawson  informs 
US,  there  were  snowdrifts  five  feet  deep  at  the 
Jaffa  Gate,  and  at  the  same  time  the  Jordan  Val- 
ley was  enjoying  a  mild  temperature.  This  Is 
one  of  the  features  of  Palestine  to  which  it  owes 
the  variety  of  its  animals  and  plants.  The 
diversity  of  climate,  soils,  and  aspects  in  the  hills 
and  valleys  produced  a  corresponding  diversity 
in  the  habits  of  the  people.  In  this  way  Pales- 
tine, though  so  small,  represented  the  whole 
world,  and  was  the  better  fitted  to  be  the  cradle 
of  Christianity  and  the  birthplace  of  the  Bible. 

The  Dead  Sea  has  never  been  navigated  to 
any  extent ;  but  perhaps  the  Moabites  crossed  it 
in  boats  to  invade  Judali.  We  know  that  the 
Romans  used  boats  against  the  fugitive  Jews. 
Costigan,  who  went  from  the  mouth  of  the  Jordan 
to  the  peninsula  of  Lisan,  was  the  first  in  modern 
times  to  navigate  it,  and  he  died  of  exhaustion. 
128 


; 


I 


THE  DEAD  SEA 


129 

111  1837  Moore  and  Beck  sailed  on  part  of  it,  and 
in  1847  Ivientenant  Molynenx  sacrificed  his  life 
in  exploring  it.  The  expedition  of  Lieutenant 
Ivynch  was  the  most  successful,  but  several  of 
his  party  died.  The  water  is  gradually  decreas- 
ing. Ihe  few  tribes  who  pitch  their  tents  in 
the  vicinity  are  sickly.  They  are  thoroughly 
degraded  and  are  charged  with  the  vices  of  their 
bodoinite  progenitors  in  "  the  cities  of  the  plain." 

Its  Name  and  General  Characteristics 
—It  is  called  in  Scripture  the  Salt  Sea,  the  sea  of 
the  Plain,  the  East  or  Former  Sea,  and  once 
simply  the  Sea.  The  Talmudic  books  call  it 
the  sea  of  Salt  and  the  sea  of  Sodom.  Josephus 
named  it  the  Asphaltic  Lake ;  the  Greeks  and 
Romans  used  the  same  name,  given  it  because  of 
the  asphaltum  or  bitumen  found  on  or  by  it  It 
was  called  the  Dead  Sea  because  of  the  absence 
of  living  creatures  in  its  waters.  The  Arabs  call 
it  Bahr  Lut,  the  sea  of  Lot. 

It  is  in  the  lowest  part  of  the  crevasse  which 
extends  from  the  foot  of  Mount  Hermon  to  the 
gulf  of  Akaba,  for  a  distance  of  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles.  The  sea  is  forty-seven 
miles  long  from  north  to  south,  and  at  the 
widest  part  ten  miles  in  width.  It  is  about  the 
size  of  Lake  Geneva.  It  can  be  very  clearlv 
seen  from  the  Mount  of  Olives,  being  but  six'- 
teen  miles  distant.  The  Jordan  enters  it  on  the 
north,  on  the  east  several  streams,  among  them 
the  Arnon,  the  Zerka,  and  the  Zerad ;  and  it  re- 
ceives  also  several  winter  torrents. 

I 


f^l 


130 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURUS 


I  1    ■>•' 


m 


H 


I  !■ 


Bare  mountain  ranges  flank  the  Dead  Sea,  ris- 
ing in  cliffs  on  the  west  fifteen  hundred  feet,  and 
on  the  east  two  thousand  feet.  At  the  south- 
west is  a  range  of  hills  of  rock-salt,  seven  miles 
long  and  three  hundred  feet  high  ;  this  range, 
called  Jebel  Usdum,  or  Mount  Sodom,  runs  from 
north  to  south.  In  some  cases  these  mountain 
ranges  jut  out  into  the  waters  in  bold  headlands. 
Besides  bitumen  and  sulphur,  there  is  on  the 
beach  a  substance  called  musca,  a  carbonate  of 
lime  which  is  black  and  which  takes  a  fine  pol- 
ish. Souvenirs  of  the  Dead  Sea  are  made  from 
it  and  are  sold  in  Jerusalem.  When  rubbed  it 
has  an  intolerable  odor,  and  when  placed  on  hot 
coals  it  blazes  with  a  sulphurous  smell. 

On  the  east  about  seven  miles  from  the  south- 
ern shore,  a  low  promontory,  called  el-Lisan,  the 
tongue,  projects  westward  and  northward  into 
the  sea.  It  is  ten  miles  long  and  five  wide. 
North  of  this  tongue  the  sea  is  an  elongated 
oval  in  shape.  The  surface  of  the  Dead  Sea  is 
one  thousand  three  hundred  and  ninety-two  feet 
below  the  Mediterranean,  and  three  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below  Jerusalem. 
The  level  varies  ten  to  fifteen  feet  according  to 
the  season.  A  series  of  shore  lines  shows  that 
it  has  sunk  by  degrees  hundreds  of  feet ;  and  the 
bottom  is  still  subsiding.  Twenty  years  ago  the 
channel  between  the  tongue  and  the  west  shore 
was  crossed  by  two  fords ;  now  it  is  impassable. 

The  waters  are  clear  and  limpid,  but  exceed- 
ingly salt  and  bitter.  A  gallon  weigh,  twelve 
and  a  quarter  pounds,  two  and  a  quarter  pounds 


ris- 


^ 


TIIK   DEAD  SEA  131 

more  tliaii  distilled  water.     Tliere  is  no  hostility 
to  life  ill  the  nei^rhborhood  but  the  want  of  water. 
If  some  company  wonld  draw  off  the  waters  of 
Jordan  thirty  miles  above  and  turn  them  by  irri- 
gation  into  the  plain  the  whole  valley  wonld  be 
a  garden.     Frnits,  sngar  cane,  and  cotton  wonld 
abonnd.     Once  sngar  cane  grew  here  ;  traces  of 
sngar  mills  are  still  fonnd.     Great  hotels  may 
some  day  be  bnilt  on  the  shores  of  the  Dead  Sea 
Boats  may  float  over  its  snrface,  gay  bathers  disl 
port    in   Its  waters,  pleasnre   parties   go  to  the 
mountains,  while  other  gronps  amuse  themselves 
under   the   shade   trees   or  on  the  verandas  of 
their   hotels.      Health-seekers    may   yet   crowd 
these  shores.     This  is  a  sweet  picture.     Chris- 
tianity may  yet  adorn  the  historic  places,  cursed 
by  abominable  sin,  making  them  blossom  as  the 
rose. 


History  of  the  Dead  Sea.— We  learn 
from  Gen.  13  :  12  that  Lot  chose  for  himself  a 
home  on  the  borders  of  the  Dead  Sea.  It  was 
here  that  the  important  battle  of  four  kings 
against  five  took  place  ;  we  learn  also  that  the 
vale  of  Siddim,  which  is  the  Salt  Sea,  was  full 
of  slime  pits,  and  the  kings  of  Sodom  and  Go- 
morrah fled  and  fell  there,  and  Lot  was  taken 
prisoner.  In  this  vicinity  were  those  cities  of 
the  plain,  cities  so  full  of  wickedness  that  the 
Lord  rained  upon  them  brimstone  and  fire  out  of 
heaven.  Thus  Sodom  has  been  for  thousands  of 
years  a  symbol  of  the  grossest  wickedness.  Here 
i.ot  s  wife,  looking  backward,  became  a  "  pillar  " 


132 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURES 


.''/'' 


I  ', 


i.l 


rather,  a  mound,  of  salt.  Travelers  can  still  see 
at  Jcbel  Usihini  salt  hills  which  may  well  be 
called  pillars  of  salt  to  this  day. 

Sir  J.  W.  Dawson,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for 
many  facts  and  some  of  the  language  used  in 
these  two  chapters  on  the  Dead  vSea,  tells  us  that 
the  Dead  Sea,  whether  seen  in  calm  or  storm,  is 
an  impressive  sheet  of  water.  Its  waters  are 
clear  and  inodorous ;  they  are  also  free  from  pol- 
lution and  garbage.  The  mineral  springs  of  the 
vicinity,  the  mild  winter  climate,  and  the  density 
of  its  air  might  well  make  it  in  the  future  what 
it  was  in  the  past,  a  favorite  resort  for  invalids 
and  pleasure  seekers.  The  name  Dead  Sea  is 
comparatively  modern,  and  entirely  unknown  to 
the  writers  of  the  Bible.  They  associated  with 
it  no  ideas  of  horror  and  desolation  ;  certainly 
not  previous  to  the  destruction  of  the  wicked 
cities  of  the  plain.  They  spoke  of  the  region 
as  resembling  the  garden  of  the  Lord,  and  its 
western  side  was  famous  for  its  vineyards. 

Bathinc  in  the  Sea. — Most  travelers  try 
the  curiout^  effect  of  bathing  in  the  Dead  Sea. 
If  one  is  suffering  from  any  abrasion  of  the  skin, 
which  is  not  unlikely  to  be  the  case  where  is  so 
much  cause  for  irritation,  a  bath  will  cause  much 
suffering.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  water  is 
lightest  at  the  mouth  of  the  Jordan,  as  there  so 
much  fresh  water  enters.  It  is  therefore  well 
not  to  bathe  too  near  the  entrance  of  that  river. 
The  water  is  buoyant  enough  to  permit  one  to 
stand  in  it  with  head  and  shoulders  above  the 


t, 


!! 


m 


I, 


THE   DEAD  SEA 


^33 


r 


»! 


surface.  One  floats  at  case  ;  indeed,  it  is  difHcnlt 
for  one  to  subnierj^e  his  1)ody.  Doctor  Robinson 
tells  us  that  he  "  could  never  swim  before  either 
in  fresh  or  salt  water,"  but  here  he  "  could  sit, 
stand,  lie,  or  swim  without  difficulty."  Its 
buoyancy  has  not  been  exa^jj^erated.  The  tem- 
perature is  i)leasin<;,  and  if  one  is  careful  not  to 
j^et  any  of  the  water  into  the  eyes,  a  bath  pro- 
duces, when  there  are  no  abrasions  of  the  skin, 
a  pleasinj*',  though  somewhat  oily  sensation.  U 
fresli  water  had  its  buoyancy  no  one  would  be 
drowned.  Floating  is  no  effort;  sinking  is 
laborious.  The  clv^.i  annoyance  is  the  tendency 
of  the  feet  to  go  out  of  the  water,  and  then  the 
swimmer's  head  is  in  danger  of  going  under. 
Lieutenant  Lynch  says  :  "  With  great  difficult)- 1 
kept  my  feet  down,  and  when  I  lay  on  my  back 
and  drawing  up  my  knees,  placed  my  hands  on 
them,  I  rolled  immediately  over."  The  differ- 
ences on  account  of  its  buoyancy  are  due  to  the 
difference  in  its  specific  gravity.  One  can  cur\'e 
his  body  and  so  lie  on  the  surface  almost  as  one 
on  a  couch.  Even  then  one  feels  almost  as  if  he 
were  a  cork,  and  he  is  in  constant  danger  of 
turning  over.  If  one  experiences  any  unpleas- 
ant sensations  because  of  irritation  of  the  skin, 
he  can  hasten  to  the  Jordan  and  have  a  fresh 
water  bath.  Many  amuse  themselves  by  gather- 
ing sea-drift  on  the  beach  and  taking  away  water 
in  bottles.  There  is  no  living  thing  in  the  sea. 
Fish  brought  down  by  the  Jordan  die  almost  im- 
mediately upon  being  introduced  into  the  sea ; 
even  salt  sea  fish  soon  die.     It  has  sometimes 


ft 

\i  1'. 


■■ 


I 


I): 


^ 


I  hi 
i. 

All 


134 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


been  asserted  that  some  of  the  lower  forms  of 
life  are  found,  but  the  statement  is  open  to 
doubt. 

General  Impressions. — Most  exaggerated 
and  superstitious  views  were  once  held  regarding 
this  mysterious  sea.  It  was  said  that  no  bird 
could  fly  over  its  deadly  waters ;  that  no  person 
could  breathe  its  poisonous  exhalations,  and  thn^ 
in  its  center  there  was  an  abyss  into  which  the 
Jordan  poured  its  full  tide  of  waters.  Among 
modern  explorers,  whose  careful  investigations 
have  done  much  to  explode  these  superstitions, 
is  Lieutenant  Lynch,  of  the  United  States  Navy, 
who  in  1848  passed  down  the  Jordan  from  the 
Sea  of  Galilee  in  two  metallic  boats,  and  who 
made  a  careful  survey  of  the  Dead  Sea.  The 
density  of  the  water  is  such  that  when  these 
metallic  boats  of  Lieutenant  Lynch  met  with 
a  gale  on  entering  the  sea  from  the  Jordan,  "  it 
seemed  as  if  the  bows  were  encountering  the 
sledge  hammers  of  the  Titans  instead  of  the 
opposing  waves  of  an  angry  sea."  English  and 
French  investigators  have  confirmed  his  conclu- 
sions. One  looks  in  vain  for  the  awful  gloom 
and  deathliness  which  tlie  medieval  monks  had 
described.  One  sees  a  lovely  blue  lake,  changing 
into  green  in  the  shifting  light ;  at  places  one 
finds  a  sloping  sandy  beach,  up  which  the  waves 
come  with  a  pleasant  murmur.  The  sea  does 
not  destroy  vegetable  cr  animal  life  in  its  vicin- 
ity. The  song  of  bird.s  is  heard  ;  birds  are  seen 
flitting  about  the  shore ;  a  rabbit  runs  into  his 


i 


4 


THE   DEAD  SEA 


135 


hole   close   by  Kie  beach.     But  still,   branches 
and  trunks  of  trees,  gnarled  and  bleached,  the 
driftwood  of   the  Jordan,  impart  a  dreary  aspect 
to  the  shore.     As  one  remains    longer  by  the 
shore  he  is  solemnly  impressed  by  its  awful  still- 
ness.    He  feels  the  strange  effect,  perhaps  partb 
from  the  law  of  association,  of  the  general  &j- 
sence  of  life  and  the  presence  of  death.      Ji.-t 
as  in   Norway  there  is  an  awful  stillness   and 
solemnity  in  the  sliining  of  the  noonday  sun  at 
midnight,  so  here  there  is  a  deadness,  a  weird- 
ness,  and  solemnity  which  one  feels  though  he 
cannot  explain  their  essential  elements.      The 
basin  is  a  bowl  which  the  full  tide  of  the  waters 
of  the  Jordan  can   never  fill ;  and  the  exhala- 
tions caused   by  the  great  heat  give  the  whole 
neighborhood   the   strange   and   mysterious  ap- 
pearance which  all  travelers  have  observed.     It 
seems  as  if  the  smoke  of  the  buried  cities  was  for- 
ever ascending  to  heaven. 

Nauseous  Character.— Its  nauseous  char- 
acter is  caused  by  the  extraordinary  amount  of 
mineral  salts  which  it  holds  in  solution.  The 
analyses  of  chemists  differ  according  to  different 
s<-asons  of  the  year  and  different  distances  frcin 
the  mouth  of  the  Jordan.  It  has  been  calculated 
that  six  million  tons  of  water  fall  into  the  Dead 
Sea  daily.  The  whole  of  this  amount  is  carried 
off  by  eya|K/f.ition.  The  lake  has  no  visible  out- 
let ;  it  is  imp<y«sil)]e  to  believe  that  so  low  a  lake 
can  have  an  outlet,  visible  or  invisible.  But  it 
is  not  diffi<:ult  to  sec   how  tlie  hot,  drv  air  can 


i: 


I 


It  '1 


! 


136 


SUNDAY   NIGHT    LECTURES 


absorb  this  enormous  degree  of  moi.sture.  It  is 
easy  to  see  how  the  water  which  is  left  behind  is 
impregnated  to  an  unusual  extent  with  mineral 
substances.  Salt  also  comes  from  the  banks. 
The  water  contains  twenty-four  to  twenty-six 
per  cent,  of  solid  substances,  seven  per  cent,  of 
which  is  chloride  of  sodium,  or  common  salt. 
The  chloride  of  magnesium  is  also  largely  held 
in  solution,  and  it  is  this  ingredient  which  gives 
the  water  much  of  its  nauseous  and  bitter  taste. 
The  chloride  of  calcium  makes  it  feel  smooth 
and  oily  to  the  touch.  There  are  also  many 
other  ingredients.  The  water  boils  at  221°  Fahr. 
The  salt  of  the  Dead  Sea  has  long  been  brought 
to  the  Jerusalem  market. 

Scientific  Results. — Lieutenant  Lynch  and 
the  American  Expedition  secured  very  valuable 
scientific  results.  Soundings  were  taken  all  over 
the  lauLe  ;  its  geographical  position  was  deter- 
mined ;  its  depths  sounded ;  its  temperature, 
width,  and  velocity  ascertained  ;  winds,  currents, 
changes  of  weather,  and  atmospheric  phenomena 
— these  were  all  discovered  and  recorded.  Lieu- 
tenant Lvnch  in  his  narrative  uses  these  words  : 


?: 


i/n! 


Everything  said  in  the  Bible  about  the  Dead  Sea  and  the 
Jordan,  we  believe  to  be  fully  verified  by  our  observations. 
The  inference  from  the  Bible  that  this  entire  chasm  was  a 
plain  sunk  and  overwhelmed  by  the  wrath  of  C^od,  seems 
to  be  sustained  by  the  extraordinary  character  of  our  sound- 
ino^s.  The  bottom  of  the  sea  consists  of  two  submerged 
plams,  an  elevated  and  a  depressed  one,  the  former  averag- 
ing thirteen  feet,  the  1.  tter  about  one  thousand  three  hun- 
dred  feet  below  the   surface.      Through  the  northern  and 


1.1  IV 


*  V 


the 

ions. 

as  a 

eenis 

und- 

lun- 
and 


THE   DEAD   SEA 


137 


largest  and  deepest  one,  in  a  line  corresponding  with  the 
bed  of  the  Jordan,  is  a  ravine.  There  can  scarcely  be  a 
doubt  that  the  whole  ghor  has  sunk  from  some  extraordi- 
nary convulsion,  preceded  probably  by  an  eruption  of  fire, 
and  a  general  conflagration  of  the  bitumen  which  abounded 
in  the  plain. 

Men  without  much  scientific  knowledge  can 
easily  see  how  it  conies  to  pass  that  there  is  so 
much  salt  in  this  sea.  Tliere  is  some  salt  in  all 
rivers  ;  fresh  water  rivers  and  lakes  are  not  really 
fresh.  But  an  unusual  quantity  of  salt  is  in  the 
rivers  which  flow  into  the  Dead  Sea.  Nitrous 
soil  and  sulphurous  springs  supply  the  saline 
matter  to  these  rivers.  It  is  also  possible  that 
there  are  hot  springs  in  the  sea  itself. 

Beautiful  as  is  the  sea  in  itself,  as  beautiful  as 
any  lake  in  England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  Switzer- 
land, or  Italy,  there  is  still  a  fearful  suggestive- 
ness  in  its  position,  history,  and  characteristics. 
Dr.  George  Adam  Smith,  speaking  of  its  vicinity, 
says : 

You  could  not  imagine  a  more  proper  crown  for  death. 
...  In  this  awful  hollow,  this  bit  of  the  infernal  regions 
come  up  to  the  surface,  this  hell  with  the  sun  shining  into 
it,  primitive  man  laid  the  scene  of  God's  most  terrible  judg- 
ment on  human  sin.  The  glare  of  Sodom  and  (lomorrah 
is  flu  _  lown  the  whole  length  of  Scri[)t'ire  history.  It  is 
the  popular  and  standard  judgment  of  sin.  The  story  is 
told  m  GenesL?  ;  it  is  applied  in  Deuteronomy,  by  Amos, 
by  Isaiah,  by  Jeremiah,  by  Zephaniah,  in  Lamentations, 
and  by  Ezekie;.  Our  Lord  himself  employs  it  more  than 
once  as  the  fii:n.jre  of  the  judgment  he  threatens  upon  cities 
where  the  word  is  preached  n  vain,  and  there  we  feel  the 
flame  scorch  our  owr  chtieks.  I'aul,  Peter,  Jude,  all  make 
mention  of  ii.  In  the  Apocaiypse,  the  great  city  of  sin, 
which  spiritually  is  -alii a  Sodom  (Rev.   1 1  :  8). 


138 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


I'l 


These  are  very  strong  words,  and  they  are  wise 
and  true  as  strong.  Every  reader  of  Scripture 
recognizes  this  truth,  and  every  visitor  to  the 
Dead  Sea  feels  that  it  in  some  weird  but  real 
way  emphasizes  all  these  solemn  Scripture  teach- 
ings. 

There  are,  probably,  stored  up  in  the  earth 
to-day  all  forces  necessary  for  its  destruction, 
Men  sneer  at  the  prophecies  contained  in  tlv 
word  of  God  concerning  the  destruction  of  the 
world,  but  their  sneer  is  not  indicative  of  breadtli 
of  knowledge,  but  rather  of  narrowness  of  vision. 
We  are  distinctly  informed  that,  "the  heavens 
shall  pass  away  with  a  great  noise,  and  the  ele- 
ments shall  melt  with  fervent  heat,  the  earth 
also  and  the  works  that  are  therein  shall  be 
burned  up."  All  the  discoveries  of  modern 
science  are  making  it  easier  to  believe  in  the 
promises  and  prophecies  of  the  Bible.  Christian 
interpretation  has  made  hopeful  progress  when 
it  recognizes  the  unity  of  God's  universe. 
Science  has  greatly  helped  religion  in  teaching 
us  the  universality  and  the  uniformity  of  law. 
Once  It  was  thought  that  this  was  a  doctrine 
that  would  be  injurious  to  revealed  religion,  but 
that  fear  has  fore\er  passed  away.  Let  no  man 
undertake  to  limit  the  power  of  the  Amighty. 
The  mo>t  advanced  science  knows  yet  but  little 
of  the  possibilities  of  God  as  they  are  concealed 
in  the  heavens  above  and  the  earth  beneath. 
Science  more  and  more  is  laying  its  tribute  of 
honor  on  the  Bible.  One  day  it  will  give  its 
proudest   crown    to    Jesus   Christ   as   King   in 


THE  DEAD  SEA 


139 


truth's  vast  realm.  Recognizing  these  great 
truths  we  are  able  more  fully  to  appreciate  these 
words  of  Holy  Scripture:  "Seeing  then  that  all 
these  things  shall  be  dissolved,  what  manner  of 
persons  ought  ye  to  be  in  all  holy  conversation 
and  godliness,  looking  for  and  hasting  unto  the 
coming  of  the  day  of  God,  wherein  the  heavens 
being  on  fire  shall  be  dissolved,  and  the  elements 
shall  melt  with  fervent  heat." 


ri-i' 


XII 


> 


THE  CITIES  OF  THE    PLAIN 


(  >. 


\i 


I 


■'i. 


I* 


',••41 


,r,i 


(lli    \ 


SOME  hold  that  the  cities  of  the  plain, 
Sodom,  Gomorrah,  Admah,  and  Zeboim, 
and  Bela  or  Zoar,  were  not  at  the  southern  end 
but  at  the  northern  end  of  the  Dead  Sea.  One 
reason  for  this  opinion  is  that  it  is  stated  that 
Abraham  and  Lot  could  see  the  plain  from  the 
high  ground  between  Bethel  and  Ai,  from  which 
point  only  the  northern  end  of  the  Dead  Sea  is 
visible.  Other  reasons  are  given,  such  as  that 
these  were  the  cities  of  the  Kikkar,  or  circle  of 
Jordan,  and  that  this  name  of  circle  is  not  ap- 
plicable to  the  south  end  of  the  sea.  Another 
argument  is  that  the  expedition  of  the  four  kings 
as  it  swept  north  from  Kadesh-Barnea  attacked 
Hazezon  Tamar,  which  was  probably  Engedi, 
before  it  reached  the  vale  of  Siddim,  where  the 
king  of  Sodom  and  his  allies  were  met.  There 
are  still  other  arguments.  But  after  fairly 
weighing  them,  I  still  hold  to  the  traditional 
opinion,  for  reasons  which  I  give  in  a  few  sen- 
tences. Lot's  view,  it  is  implied,  took  in  only  a 
section  of  the  valley,  or  the  name  Kikkar  may 
have  been  extended  to  the  southern  end.  The 
argument  assumes  that  there  has  been  no  essen- 
tial change  in  the  locality  since  that  day,  but  a 
140 


THE  CITIES  OF  THE   PLAIN 


141 


marked  change  because  of  the  eruption  is  cer- 
tainly suggested  by  the  narrative.  The  site  of 
Zoar  is  a  strong  argument.  It  must  have  been 
near  the  southern  end  of  the  sea  and  on  its 
eastern  shore.  It  could  not  have  been  among 
the  mountains,  for  Lot  feared  he  could  not  get 
so  far,  and  so  begged  to  stop  here.  The  names 
suggestive  of  identity  with  the  original  sites 
still  adhere  to  the  places  at  the  southern  end  of 
the  sea.  This  argument  has  never  been  satis- 
factorily met ;  no  one  has  really  refuted  it. 
The  testimony  of  unbroken  tradition,  ancient 
and  modern,  Strabo,  Josephus,  Tacitus,  Galen, 
Jerome,  Eusebius,  is  in  favor  of  the  traditional 
view.  Jebel  Usdum  must  be  recognized  as  the 
representative  of  Sodom.  All  the  natural  con- 
ditions of  the  southern  end  seem  to  me  far  more 
in  harmony  with  the  records  of  Scripture  than 
those  at  the  northern  end.  This  I  instinctively 
feel.  Moses,  four  and  a  half  centuries  later, 
warns  the  Israelites  against  apostasy,  telling 
them  (Deut.  29  :  23)  that  God  would  overthrow 
them  as  he  had  those  cities  of  the  plain.  He 
gives  a  picture  of  the  site  of  Sodom  and  Go- 
morrah as  it  appeared  in  his  day  ;  so  do  Isaiah, 
Jeremiah,  and  others,  of  its  appearance  in  their 
day.  It  was  then  as  now  a  blasted  region,  an 
utter  desolation. 

Destruction  of  the  Cities. — We  are  de- 
pendent on  the  Scripture  narrative  for  our 
knowledge  of  the  facts,  so  far  as  any  contempo- 
rary account  of  this  great  event  is  concerned. 


142 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURKS 


Pi 

'I 

r 


l.-'l 

i 


: 


'r 

i 


n 
'I  I 


]■ 


I 


I 


f- 

^^S 


We  are  told  in  Gen.  14  :  lo  that  there  were 
"slimepits"  in  the  vicinity  of  the  cities,  which 
were  destroyed.  What  are  these  slimepits  ? 
Let  us  use  a  niodert;  equivalent  for  that  term. 
WIir:t  is  it?  This:  petroleum  wells.  The 
neighborhood  of  the  Dead  Sea  was  a  region  of 
bitumen  ;  it  was  a  region  liable  to  eruptions  of 
the  most  destructive  character.  Sir  J.  W.  Daw- 
son, to  whom  I  have  already  referred  with  ap- 
preciation of  his  contribution  to  the  literature  of 
this  subject  and  with  acknowledgment  of  my  in- 
debtedness to  his  brief  but  excellent  statements, 
discussing  this  point  in  his  book  entitled 
"  Egypt  and  Syria,"  calls  attention  to  the  fact 
that  we  have  had  somewhat  similar  eruptions  in 
the  United  States  and  in  Canada.  A  few  years 
ago,  as  he  reminds  us,  in  tlie  oil  district  of  Pe- 
trolia,  Canada,  a  bore-hole  struck  a  reservoir  of 
gas,  which  rushed  out  with  explosive  force, 
carrying  before  it  a  large  quantity  of  petroleum. 
As  was  to  be  expected,  the  gas  took  fire,  forming 
a  tall  column  of  flame,  and  soon  the  burning 
petroleum  spread  over  the  ground  and  ignited 
tank  after  tank  of  the  substance  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. Soon  a  space  of  about  fifteen  acres 
was  enveloped  in  flame,  an  entire  village  was 
burned,  and  a  number  of  persons  lost  their  lives. 
The  air  poured  toward  the  eruption,  causing  a 
whirlwind,  which  carried  the  dense  smoke  high 
into  the  air,  and  threw  down  burning  bitumen 
all  around. 

Here  we  have  substantially  the  conditions  of 
the  destruction   of   the  cities  of  the  plain.     If 


1 '  I 
'if 


were 
vliicli 
pits? 
term. 

The 
)n  of 
tis  of 
Daw- 
1  ap- 
re  of 
y  i  li- 
en ts, 
itled 

fact 
IS  in 
ears 

Pe- 
r  of 
•roe, 
um. 
ling 
ing 
ited 
gh- 
;res 
A'as 


f  a 


:gh 
len 

of 
If 


ME^CITIKS  OF   THE   PLAIN  143 

we  supposc-a  very  natiiiarsTipposUbir-that; 
a  he  tune  ( cscnbcd  i„  tlie  Hible,  accumulations 
o  .„na„,„,able  gas  aud  petroleum  existed  below 
he  plan,  of  S.ddun,  the  escape  of  these  through 
the  ope„,„g  of  a  fissure  might  produce  all  the 

1^1.  mT;';"'-     ^^■''•'"    ^^^-^    tl'ese    effects? 
lake  the  li.ble  narrative  in  its  essence  for  the 

a  p  liar  of  smoke  ris.ng  to  heaven,  burning  bi- 
t  men  and  sulphur  raining  on  the  doomed  cities, 
and  fire  spreadnig  over  the  vicinity.     We  have 
ma  word,  what  they  had  in  Petrolia,  Canada,' 

pace  therr'-n     "^  "'"  ,'"'P"°"   ™'"=''   '°ok 
p  ace  there      There  was  also  an  explosion  near 

the  Dead  Sea,  au  evolution  of  saline  waters  as 
.s  uuphed  ;n  the  destruction  of  Lot's  w^f^nd 
this  evolution  is  the  natural  accompaniment  of 
the  phenomena  described,  as  water  is  alwav! 
present  ,n  such  eruptions.  In  this  cas'bec",  e 
of  the  condensation  named,  the  water  ^-onld  be 
a  bnne  thick  with  mud,  and  so  exactly  fitted  to 
encrust  aiid  cover  any  object  on  which  it  mth? 
come.  Thus  Lot's  wife  in  the  most  „a  fra 
way  conceiNable  became  a  mound  of  salt 

Doctor  Dawsou  says  that  no  geologist  on  com- 
paring the  narrative  in  Gen.  19  with  the  striic 
ture  of  the  district  can  hesitate^as  to  tl  e  nat'^e" 
of  the  phenomena  which  were  presented  to  he 
observation  of  the  narrator.  Glance  a^iin  at  ! 
narrativ-e  iu  Genesis.  The  destrnctio„™'s^ 
den  and  unexpected.  It  was  caused  by  "brim- 
stone and  fire,"  and  that  is  just  the  Bible's  way 
of  saying  by  burning  brimstone.     These  vvere 


144 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURKS 


i   ?.' 


Ah 


U 


.i  V' 


■<!': 


"I  • 


]   'I 


'til 

r 


nnued  down  from  the  sky,  and  a  dense  colnnui 
of  smoke  ascended  to  a  great  heij»;lit,  like  the 
smoke  of  a  furnace  or  a  limekiln,  and  alonj^ 
with  this  there  was  an  emission  of  brine,  or 
saline  mud,  capable  of  encrusting  any  sub- 
stances. 

The  volcanoes  of  1834  and  1837  brouj^ht  up 
from  the  bottom  of  the  Dead  Sea  great  masses 
of  bitumen,  thus  confirming  the  record  of  Gen, 
14  :  10,  that  here  were  slimepils,  or  bitumen 
pits.  God  seems  to  have  used  these  naturally 
inflammable  materials  with  which  to  burn  up 
the  cities  of  the  plain.  This  whole  neighbor- 
hood seems  to  have  been  the  "petroleum  oil 
region "  of  Palestine.  It  has  also  been  sug- 
gested tha  the  inhabitants  may  ha\e  used  bi- 
tumen in  the  construction  of  their  houses  ;  they 
would  thus  be  the  more  inflammable.  Herodotus 
speaks  of  the  use  of  bitumen  in  mortar,  and 
recent  explorations  in  Nineveh  show  that  it  was 
there  extensively  used  for  building  purposes,  the 
bricks  being  cemented  with  bitumen.  It  is 
very  easy  to  see  how  God  could,  by  the  use  of 
materials  at  hand,  have  exploded  the  whole 
region  about  the  Dead  Sea,  the  bitumen  and  gas 
taking  fire  from  the  burning  volcanoes,  the  fly- 
ing flames  and  cinders  filling  the  heavens,  to  be 
rained  back  in  "  fire  and  brimstone,  and  a  horrible 
tempest,''  as  is  stated  in  Ps.  11  :  6. 

The  only  point  of  doubt  in  the  description  in 
Genesis  is  as  to  what  is  meant  by  "  brimstone." 
Following  the  explanations  given  by  Doctor 
Dawson,   we  say  that  it  might  mean  sulphur, 


:v. 


THK  ClTllvS  OK   Till-;   PLAIN 


145 


gas 
fly- 
be 
lible 


in 

e." 
:tor 
lur, 


larj^c  quantities  of  which  tliere  are  in  some  of 
the  Dead  Sea  deposits.  Prol)ably  it  means  here 
pilch  ;  it  is  derived  from  tlie  same  rout  as  j^oplu'fy 
the  Hebrew  name  of  tlie  express  and  oilier 
resinous  woods.  The  word  used  here  by  the 
Hebrew  writer  is  jraphriih.  Zaphcth  is  the 
natural  word  for  petroleum  or  rock  oil  in  its 
liquid  state  ;  c/wniar  denotes  asphalt  or  mineral 
pitch,  and  copJier  is  asphaltic  or  resinous  varnish 
used  for  coverinj:^  and  protectinor  wood  and  other 
materials.  Noah  used  cophcy  for  the  ark  ;  the 
builders  of  Babel  used  chcmar  or  asphalt  as  a 
cement,  and  the  careful  mother  of  Aloses  used 
both  chcmar  and  zcphcth  to  make  her  baby  boy's 
cradle  water-tight.  The  writer  here  uses  the 
more  undecided  term  (^aphrith.  Why  did  he 
employ  this  term  ?  Probably  he  did  not  wish 
to  commit  himself  to  any  particular  kind  of 
inflammable  material,  but  preferred  to  use  a 
broad  term,  which  his  readers  would  understand 
to  mean  any  or  all  of  these  materials,  and  possi- 
bly, also,  sulphur.  The  writer  of  (ienesis  was 
a  wise  man.  Some  day  tlie  "cocksure"  critics 
will  speak  with  vastly  more  appreciation  of  his 
wisdom  and  of  their  own  ignorance  than  they 
do  to-day. 

Recapitulatiox. — From  the  beds  of  bitu- 
minous limestone  in  the  vicinitv  of  the  Dead 
Sea,  and  which,  no  doubt,  underlie  its  bed, 
bituminous  and  gaseous  substances  must  have 
been  constantly  exuding ;  when  these  regions 
were  shaken  by  an  earthquake  special  facility 

K 


,:i'r 


146 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    LKCTURKS 


M 


' 


was  p^iveti  for  the  escape  of  these  iuflamniable 
products.  We  have  only  to  suppose,  witli  Doctor 
Dawson,  that  at  the  time  in  question  reservoirs 
of  condensed  j^as  and  petroleum  existed  under 
the  plain  of  Siddim,  and  that  these  were  sud- 
denly discharged,  either  by  tlieir  own  accumu- 
lated pressure  or  by  an  earthquake  shock  frac- 
turinjj  the  overlyinj^  beds,  then  all  the  phenomena 
described  in  the  book  of  Genesis  would  naturally, 
I  may  say  inevitably,  occur.  After  the  eruption 
the  site  would  be  covered  with  saline  and  sul- 
phurous deposit.  The  reservoirs  which  pre- 
viously existed  under  the  ground  would  be 
exhausted,  permanently  dried  up ;  then  there 
would  be  a  subsidence  of  the  ground  where  the 
reservoirs  had  been,  and  this  subsidence  would 
account  for  the  idea  of  the  submerged  cities. 
From  a  purely  scientific  point  of  view  the 
Scripture  narrative  is  a  unique,  superb,  and  sub- 
lime description  of  a  natural  phenomenon  as 
rare  as  it  is  wonderful  and  sublime.  Scientific 
explorations  have  shown  that  the  inspired  narra- 
tive is  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  scientific 
possibilities  of  this  remarkable  region.  The 
carping  critics  who  have  opposed  this  narrative 
show  their  lack  of  scientific  knowledge  quite  as 
much  as  their  want  of  religious  faith.  God  is 
making  modern  science  his  handmaid,  to  lead 
scholarly  as  well  as  unscholarly  but  devout 
students  to  bow  in  reverence  at  the  feet  of  Jesus 
Christ  as  the  world's  greatest  teacher.  The 
Bible  is  proving  itself  to  be  an  "  up-to-date " 
book  for  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  century.     It 


THK   CITUvS  OF  Tiff:    I'l.AIN 


M7 


is  tl.e  book  for  all  times  and  for  all  lands.     It  is 
scientifically  up  to  the  date  of  the  most  recent 

discoveries.  -vmi 

The  narrative  in  Ccnesis  surrtjcsts  tliat  I  ol's 

wife  remained  beliiiul,  lookin.i.ack        ^ m"  v 

oiiBiiij.  to  (JO  hack,  nntil  .she  was  overtaken  h  • 

t  e  fire  and  .sahiie  ejections,  and  tliat  when  the 

.survivors  songht  her  tliey  found  only  "  a  licap  of 

perished '-"Tr""  "'r'^'"«  ""=  P'"^^  "'--^l' 
.pillar,    hnt  rather  a  ihoimkI.     The  idea  of  tlie 

bv  'heT^^''™''f' -y  '*""«^'-^'^''  '"  ""^  translators 
b>  che  fables  winch  connect  her  with  the  pillar- 
like  nias.ses  of  salt  on  the  .salt  cliff  of  Jebel 
Us<lH,ii,  but  these  fables  have  no  warrant  in  the 

The  physical  pheiioiiiena  named  as  used  by 

God  111  the  destrnction  of  the  cities  of  the  plain 

in  no  way  detract  from  the  providential  cliarac- 

er  of  that  event.     God  knows  how  to  nse  all  the 

nntl  P^f     "°"'  J"''Kments.     We  do  not  elimi- 
nate God  because  we  put  him  farther  back  in 
the  1  ne  of  causes.     There  is  a  tnily  Christian 
evoUitioii.      Properly   nnderstood,  God's   pov  e" 
and  wisdom  may  be  more  fully  ilhistrated  when 
he  IS  thus  placed.     He  is  not  less  the  Creator 
because  the  creation  is  not  immediate.     Perhaps 
Christian  teachers  have  been  nnfortnnateh-  timFd 
in  admit  in^  these  truths.     The  word  of  God 
nowhere  hesitates  to  honor  all  the  laws  of  mature 
The  law.s  of  nature  are  the  laws  of  God.     Science 
and  revelation  cannot  conflict ;  science  is  revda- 


^i 


^1 


■  ( 


:  . 


it 


r 


/' . 


ht.  \ 


148 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURES 


tion,  within  its  range  and  for  its  own  special 
truths.  Nature  and  revelation  are  different 
chapters  in  the  one  volume.  God  as  truly  mani- 
fested the  providential  character  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  cities  of  the  plain  as  if  the  fire  had 
come  directly  from  the  clouds  of  heaven.  All 
tlie  elements  and  forces  stored  up  in  nature  are 
revelations  of  the  will  and  purpose  of  God.  Let 
us  lay  hold  of  this  truth  ;  let  us  rejoice  in  seeing 
God  in  the  affairs  of  to-day  as  truly  as  in  any 
period  in  history.  He  is  as  much  with  his  peo- 
ple now  as  he  was  in  the  days  of  Abraham  and 
Isaac,  in  the  days  of  David  and  Solomon,  in  the 
days  of  Isaiah  and  Daniel,  in  the  days  of  Peter 
and  Paul.  We  have  lost  much  power  by  forget- 
ting this  truth.  Let  us  emphasize  the  presence 
and  powei  of  God  in  ail  the  natural  phenomena 
described  in  the  Bible  and  in  all  the  providential 
events  of  to-day. 

He  would  be  a  rash  man  who  should  affirm 
that  God  is  not  now  holding  back  Judgments 
from  our  cities  because  of  the  prayers  of  his 
people.  It  is  a  most  suggestive  thing  tliat  Abra- 
ham prayed  for  Sodom  and  that  God  listenc^  *-'^ 
his  prayers.  One's  heart  is  moved  as  he  sees  the 
servant  of  God  holding  converse  with  him  and 
appealing  to  God's  glory  as  a  motive  for  God's 
manifestation  of  power.  We  see  Abraham  com- 
ing down  from  the  fifty  for  whose  sake,  should 
they  be  found  in  Sodom,  God  had  promised  to 
save  the  city,  to  ten.  God  promised  not  to 
destroy  the  city  for  the  tens'  sake.  Perhaps  if 
Abraham  had  dared  reduce  the  number  to  five 


THR   CITIES   OF   THE   PLAIN 


149 


God  might  have  promised  to  save  the  city  for 

heir   sake.      Why  did   not    Abraham  so  pmy ' 

Who  can  answer  these  questions  ?     Perhaps  the 

richest  blessiii-s  which  come  to  our  modern  life 

come  111  answer  to  the  prayers  of  (iod's  people. 

We  never  know  throu<.h  what  channels  nlany  of 

our  choicest  blessings  are  brought.     God  has  ten 

housand  ministries  through  which  he  can  -ive 

his  benediction  to  his  people. 

It  is  beautiful  to  see  how  God  perfected  the 
way  of  escape  from   these  doomed   cities      All 
the  directions  given  were  very  exact.     All  the 
promises  which  God  made  were  literally  fulfilled 
Ihe  heathen  give  us  the  proverb,  "The  feet  of 
tlie  avenging  deities  are  shod  with  wool."     But 
God  gives  warning  upon  uarning,  line  upon  line 
precept^  upon    precept.       He    showed    how    the 
godly    in    Sodom    might    escape.       Those    who 
obeyed  his  command    received    his   protection  ; 
onl>  those  who  were  guilty  of  disobedience  suf- 
lered  the  punishment  threatened.     God  has  pro- 
vic.ed   a  way  of  escape  for  us  to-day.     He  has 
sent  his  only  begotten   Son.     Christ   died   that 
we  might  hve.     He  has  sent  his  preachers  wani- 
ng lis  to  flee  to  the  mountain.     May  we  listen 
to  the  words  of  the  great  teacher  and  preacher 
when  he  said,    -  Remember  Lot's   wife."     And 
may  u-e  not  stop  until  we  have  gone  to  his  cross 
and   have  found  safety  there  for  time  and   for 


ri'. 


I 


' 


n 


iM 


I, .: ; 


1 


XIII 

JERUSALEM   TO   BETHEL 

WE  turn  now  northward  in  our  jonrneyings 
in  Palestine.  We  mount  our  horses  and 
start  from  this  historic  city  before  daylight.  The 
air  was  fresh  on  the  first  day  of  October.  Indeed, 
the  motion  of  the  horses  was  very  necessary  to 
keep  us  warm.  Strangely  contradictory  emotions 
are  in  our  minds  as  we  ride  from  the  city  in  the 
gray  dawn  of  the  morning.  Never  shall  I  forget 
the  occasion. 

Roads  become  thoroughfares  because  thev  are 
the  natural  courses  of  travel ;  and  as  a  result,  they 
are  not  su])ject  to  many  changes.  We  may,  there- 
fore, be  sure  that  the  road  which  we  are  taking 
to  the  north  is  the  old  road  to  and  from  Jerusa- 
lem. Along  this  road  Abraham  journeyed  from 
Bethel  to  Heljron  ;  over  this  track  passed  Jacob 
in  his  lonely  exile  going  from  Beer-sheba  to 
Bethel ;  Joshua  in  his  hasty  march  from  Jericho 
to  meet  the  kings  in  battle  at  Gibeon  passed 
over  part  of  this  track ;  and  the  Philistines  went 
over  this  road  when  they  came  up  from  the  Mar- 
itime Plain  and  pitched  in  Michmash. 

The  years  pass.  Great  changes  have  taken 
l^lace.  Pompey  comes  up  from  the  valley  of 
the  Jordan  a,nd  travels  this  rough  path.  Again 
»5o 


'v  ^ 


JERUSALEM    TO    BETHEL 


151 


great  chancres  have  conie;  the  years  have  passed. 
Kingdoms  have  risen  and  fallen.  The  crnsaders 
have  come  to  rescne  the  Holy  City  from  the  in- 
fidel. They  are  marching  from  Tyre  to  Jernsa- 
lem,  and  they  pass  over  this  very  road.  Won- 
derful memories  crowded  my  mind  as  with  the 
dawning  day  I  left  Jerusalem  and  began  my  ride 
of  at  least  seven  days  over  this  historic  road. 
Already  groups  of  country  people  were  hasten- 
ing, with  loads  of  vegetables  and  wood  and  many 
other  tilings  piled  on  the  backs  of  camels  and 
donkeys,  to  the  early  morning  market  in  Jerusa- 
lem. Some  caravans  had  been  traveling  for  more 
than  a  week  with  wheat  from  the  Hauran  ;  others, 
and  many  of  them  barefooted  women,  had  trav- 
eled a  day  and  a  night  to  reach  the  market. 
With  the  opening  day  they  would  be  seated  out- 
side the  Jaffa  Gate,  or  within  the  walls  of  Jeru- 
salem, offering  their  various  products  to  the  chaf- 
fering purchasers. 

Leaving  the  city  we  passed  by  the  Russian 
quarter,  then  by  the  tombs  of  the  kings,  and 
soon  we  climbed  the  hill  Scopus.  The  day  was 
breaking.  The  eastern  sky  was  colored  with 
crimson  and  gold.  The  gleaming  light  was  fall- 
ing on  hills  and  valleys,  and  on  the  towers  and 
pinnacles  of  hoary,  holy,  and  desecrated  Jeru- 
salem, cit}'  of  song  and  story,  city  of  ancient 
splendor  and  of  present  .squalor.  Soon  after  I 
had  my  last  view  of  the  Holy  City.  The  im- 
pression made  on  my  mind  will  never  be  effaced. 
From  this  neighborhood  the  traveler's  last  view 
of  Jerusalem  is  generally  taken,  and  nearly  every 


%' 


tf: 


152 


SUNDAY   MGHT   LECTURES 


t'*' 

-i^'^ 


» 


. 


.r  lit 


■I'i 


J. 

h  ^ 


I'r^ 


{ 


traveler  experiences  emotions  deeper  than  lie  can 
well  describe.  Here  cnisaders,  pilgrims  of  all 
ages,  devotees  of  many  faiths,  Bible  stndents 
from  many  lands,  and  vacation  tonrists  of  many 
kinds,  have  felt  the  spell  of  a  marvelous  past 
and  tlie  strange  charm  of  a  sad  present.  It  has 
been  well  suggested  that  if  possible  every  trav- 
eler should  get  his  first  view  of  Jerusalem  from 
the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  his  last  view  from  this 
hill  of  Scopus. 

The  road  we  are  traveling  is  very  rough.  The 
horses  have  to  pick  their  steps  with  great  care. 
Frequently  we  have  to  turn  out  to  let  the  cara- 
vans pass.  Once  this  was  a  region  of  thrift  and 
prosperity ;  now  the  contrast  is  very  marked. 
Isaiah's  words  are  sadly  true  :  "  The  highways  lie 
waste,  the  wayfaring  man  ceaseth.  .  .  The  earth 
mourneth  and  languisheth "  (33  :  8,  9).  Pass- 
ing over  the  plain  and  then  taking  a  northerly 
direction,  we  see  on  our  left  the  village  of  Shafat. 
It  is  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  Nob.  Here  may 
be  seen  the  ruins  of  a  church  or  tower  and  of 
cisterns  hewn  in  :'  rock.  Nob  was  a  priestly 
city  in  the  tribe  of  Benjamin.  Here  in  the  time 
of  Saul  the  tabernacle  and  ark  were  stationed, 
and  to  this  place  David  fled.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  Ahimelech  the  high  priest  received 
David  as  a  refugee  from  the  court  of  the  jealous 
Saul.  He  gave  shewbread  from  the  golden 
table  and  the  sword  of  Goliath.  Doeg,  the 
Edomite,  informed  Saul  of  what  had  occurred, 
and  Saul  ordered  that  Nob  should  be  smitten 
with  the  edge  of  the  sword.     The  king's  exe- 


i 


JERUSALEM   TO   BETHEL 


153 


cutioiiers  refused  to  perform  the  bloody  deed. 
Doeg  therefore  obeyed  the  king  and  slew  the 
priests  and  people.  It  was  a  horrible  day. 
Here  the  men  of  Israel  vowed  not  to  return  to 
their  homes  until  they  had  punished  the  men  of 
(ribeah  for  their  abominable  crime  (Judg.  21  : 
20,  21).  At  Saul's  call  the  people  rallied  here  to 
fight  the  Philistines.  If  this  is  the  INIizpeh  of 
Benjamin,  it  was  here  that  Saul  was  chosen  king, 
when  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  Israel, 
was  heard  the  shout,  "God  save  the  king." 

GiBEAH  OF  Saul. — A  mile  or  so  from  Nob 
rises  the  hill  of  Tel  el-Ful,  meaning  "  the  little 
hill  of  beans."  Here  are  the  ruins  of  a  large 
building,  perhaps  a  fort  erected  by  the  cru- 
saders, the  view  from  which  is  very  extensive. 
Perhaps  this  Gibeah  is  identical  with  that  of 
Benjamin.  If  so,  then  it  was  here  that  David 
permitted  the  murder  of  the  seven  sons  of  Saul. 
This  was  the  native  place  of  Scul,  the  first  king 
of  Israel.  It  was  also  the  seat  of  government 
during  the  greater  part  of  his  reign.  It  was  near 
here  that  the  horrid  story  of  the  Levite's  fate,  as 
recorded  in  Judg.  19-21  was  enacted.  But  tlie 
most  touching  incident  was  the  nmrder  of  the 
descendants  of  Saul  of  which  I  have  spoken.' 
Thi;i  story  gives  us  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
illustrations  of  motherly  love  ever  recorded  in 
any  history.  Two  of  the  sons  of  Rizpah  were 
among  the  victims   slain ;   they  "  were   put   to 


*  2  Sam.  21  :  10. 


n 


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n,t 


'a  ■, 


1' 


•  r  M' 


■'* 


J.  I 


5-    t 


f  I 


154 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


death  in  the  clays  of  harvest,  in  the  first  clays,  in 
the  beginning  of  barley  harvest.  And  Rizpah 
the  daughter  of  Aiah  took  sackcloth,  and  spread 
it  for  her  npon  the  rock,  from  the  beginning  of 
harves*:  nntil  water  dropped  npon  them  out  of 
heaven,  and  suffered  neitlier  the  birds  of  the  air 
to  rest  on  them  by  day,  nor  the  beasts  of  the  field 
by  night."  We  thus  see  that  for  six  of  the  hot- 
test months  of  the  }ear  the  sorrowing  woman 
watched  the  bodies  of  her  sons,  showing  that 
"  love  is  stronger  than  death."  Wonderful  pic- 
ture this  of  maternal  love,  this  lone  watcher  by 
day  and  night  upon  the  rock  under  the  scorching 
sun  of  a  Syrian  summer ! 

BeeROTit. — Passing  near  Geba,  which  was 
taken  by  Jonathan  from  the  Philistines,  An- 
athoth,  the  birthplace  of  Jeremiah,  and  now  a 
poor  village  of  some  twenty  houses,  and  Raniah, 
to  which  figurative  reference  is  made  in  Alatt.  2  : 
17,  18,  where  it  was  said,  "In  Rama  was  there 
a  voice  heard,  lamentation,  and  vreeping,"  we 
come  at  a  distance  of  nine  to  ten  miles  from 
Jerusalem  to  the  modern  El-Bireh,  the  ancient 
Beeroth.  It  owes  its  name  to  its  alnnulant  sup- 
ply of  water.  The  village  contains  about  eight 
hundred  inhabitants  and  is  located  in  a  p(^or 
district.  Near  the  excellent  spring  we  find  a 
Moslem  place  of  prayer,  and  also  the  remains  of 
ancient  reservoirs.  There  are,  also,  the  ruins  of  a 
tower,  and  on  the  highest  ground  in  the  village 
the  ruins  of  a  Christian  church.  Since  the  four- 
teenth century  there  has  been  a  tradition  that  it 


y 


JERUSALKM    TO   BKTIIKI, 


1 5  5 

was  here  that  Mary  and  Joseph  first  discovered 
the  absence  of  tlie  cliild  Jesus  from  tlie  caravan 
when  returnincr  from  the  temple  at  the  close  of 
the  first  day's  journey.  Travelers  ^o'lucr  north 
usually  stop  here  for  a  nijrht,  if  thev  leave  Jeru- 
salem in  the  afternoon.  No  great  historic  value 
can  be  attached  to  the  tradition,  but  in  all  prob- 
ability this  has  been  the  stopping-place  of  trav- 
elers, for  the  nicrht,  since  time  imineniorial, 
and  It  may  well  be  that  the  parents  of  our  Lord 
halted  here.  Beeroth,  the  ancient  name,  means 
wejls.  This  was  one  of  the  four  Hivite  or  CAhc- 
onite  cities  that  made  the  league  with  Joshua. 

Leaving  Beeroth,  we  journey  about   half  an 
hour  and  come  to  a  region  of  deepest  interest. 
Near  ns  is  Ai,  where  Israel  was  at  first  repulsed 
and  then  became  victorious.    Memories  of  Achan, 
who  took  the  Babylonish  garment,  the  silver,  and 
the  gold,  and  who  suffered  so  fearfully  for  his 
sin,  fill  the  mind.     The  victories  of  Joshua  live 
again  before  us.     He  made  this  place  a  heap  of 
ruins  ;  he  hanged  its  king  on  a  tree.     And  now 
we  are   at  Bethel.     This    is   a    dear  household 
name.     How  the  past  comes  upon  one  at  such  a 
place.     Dreams   of    heaven  suggest   themselves. 
The  stairway  of   the  excellent   glorv,  \encrabie 
patriarchs,  stone  altars,  earth  and  heaven,  visits 
of  angels— these  and  other  memories  make  this 
a  hallowed  spot.      Here  was  laid  the  foundation 
SLOiie  of  lowjv  chapels  and   loftv  cathedrals  all 
over  the  world. 

Who  would  not  sleep  on  such  a  bed, 
With  a  stony  pillow  for  his  head } 


i 


156 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


■.if.   ' 


•  t- 


"». 


II  F 


w 


This  ride  carried  tis  over  rough  roads  and 
through  a  truly  historic  region.  IVIany  of  the 
memories  of  the  places  passed  were  sud  in  the 
extreme.  God's  people  were  often  guilty  of 
great  cruelty,  according  to  the  standards  of  our 
day.  We  must  not,  however,  judge  them  l)y 
those  standards.  Too  many  critics  forget  that 
Christ  had  not  then  come  and  that  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  had  not  then  been  preached. 
They  carry  the  standards  of  the  New  Testament 
to  the  conduct  of  God's  children  as  recorded  in 
the  Old  Testament.  This  is  not  fair  historical 
criticism.  We  do  not  judge  the  men  of  even  a 
few  hundred  years  ago  by  the  standards  accord- 
ing to  which  we  estimate  men  at  the  closing 
years  of  the  nineteenth  century.  It  is  mani- 
festly unjust  to  use  the  teachings  of  one  part  of 
the  Bible  to  condemn  the  children  of  God  who 
did  not  have  those  teachings,  and  whose  acts  are 
recorded  in  another  part  of  the  Bible.  The  light 
of  Christianity  is  like  the  natural  light  of  the 
day — it  has  its  dawn,  its  progress,  and  finally  its 
mer'dian  splendor.  Many  immature  Christians 
are  startled  by  the  conduct  of  God's  followers 
and  the  world's  best  men  of  the  early  day,  but 
they  ought  not  to  allow  these  imperfect  charac- 
ters to  disturb  their  faith  in  Cjod  nor  their  judg- 
ment of  his  divine  revelation.  We  might  as 
well  reject  all  the  conclusions  of  modern  science 
because  of  the  imperfect  science  and  scientists 
of  the  Middle  Ages,  as  to  reject  the  Bible  because 
God's  representatives  in  the  early  day  fell  far 
short  of  the  standard  placed  hii'ire  us  by  Christ. 


ftf  ;  I 


JKRUSAI.KM    TO   BKTIIKL 


157 


There  is  a  grovvtii,  a  development,  an  evolntion 
in  all  these  matters.  We  must  jiulj^e  men  by 
the  bes*^  standards  of  their  time ;  and  their  per- 
fection or  imperfection  must  be  determined  ac- 
cording to  their  realization  of  or  departure  from 
those  standards. 

These  desolate  hills  over  which  we  have  been 
passing  are  remarkable  illustrations  of  the  ful- 
fillment of  pro])hccy.  Bethel  is  voiceful  for 
Ciod.  These  ruins,  on  the  tops  of  the  hills  over 
which  we  have  passed,  are  mighty  preachers, 
telling  us  of  the  fulfillment  of  prophecy.  The 
Holy  Land  is  an  unimpeachable  witness  to  the 
Holy  Book.  All  these  neighborhoods  also  illus- 
trate the  providence  of  God  in  watching  over  his 
people  in  all  ages  and  among  all  nations.  He 
was  the  God  of  Abraham  and  Isaac  and  Jacob. 
Every  hill  and  valley  illustrates  his  providential 
care  over  his  people. 

The  Bible  is  an  honest  book.  It  does  not 
hesitate  to  declare  the  vices  as  well  as  the  vir- 
tues of  God's  people.  Had  it  been  written  by 
uninspired  men  it  would  have  minimized  or 
denied  the  vices  of  its  heroes,  and  it  would  have 
created  or  magnified  their  virtues.  It  does 
neither.  It  does  not  exaggerate  nor  does  it 
extenuate ;  it  sets  down  naught  in  malice  ;  it 
dares  to  tell  the  truth.  In  this  respect  it  is  a 
unique  book  in  literature.  It  shows  us  that 
when  God's  children  are  loyal  and  obedient  they 
are  prosperous,  but  when  they  oppose  or  forget, 
God  misfortunes  come  to  them  thick  and  fast. 
This  lesson  is  taught   us  by  all  the  towns  we 


158 


suxnAY  Nir.irr  m;cturi:5> 


f<f  ' 


:^n^ 


have  passed  and  by  ail  the  historic  characters 
connected  witli  these  towns.  At  Ai  Israel  was 
repulsed  because  of  sin  ;  at  Ai  Israel  finally  was 
victorious  because  of  repentance,  reparation,  and 
chastisement.  At  Bethel  there  is  a  mingling- of 
lessons  growing  out  of  the  contradictory  elements 
in  Jacob's  character.  The  Bible  is  not  responsi- 
ble for  his  sin.  It  nowhere  justifies  his  act  nor 
that  of  his  mother  in  cheating  the  brotlier  and 
the  aged  husband  and  father.  Jacob  sinned  and 
Jacob  suffered.  We  ought  not  to  undertake  to 
palliate  wrong  when  it  is  committed  by  those 
who  call  themselves  God's  people.  The  great 
act,  which  we  call  conversion,  had  not  yet  taken 
place  in  the  experience  of  Jacob.  Not  until 
years  afterward,  when  on  the  banks  of  the  brook 
Jabbok  he  wrestled  with  the  unknown  Stranger, 
did  he  pass  over  from  Jacob  to  Israel,  from  being 
the  "  supplanter "  to  becoming  the  "  prevailer 
with  God."  As  we  remount  our  horses  and  re- 
sume our  journey,  all  these  lessons  impress  them- 
selves deeply  on  the  mind.  Let  us  rejoice  in 
the  God  of  Jacob  and  the  God  of  Bethel,  and  let 
us  pray  that  every  church  and  every  home  may 
be  a  true  Bethel — "  house  of  God." 


'in 


( 


XIV 

BETJi;  T     TO   SHILOH 

T  HAVING  Jerusalem  a])out  five  o'clock  in 
^  the  niorninj^r,  ^ye  reached  Bethel  about 
eicrht  the  same  morniu^r.  The  distance  is  about 
nine  to  ten  miles,  and  the  rate  of  progress  over 
these  rough  roads  is  only  about  three  miles  an 
hour. 

The  modern  name  of  the  place  is  Betin,  but 
aUhoucrh  some  have  supposed  that  the  ancient 
Bethe    lay  a  little  farther  north,  it  is  almost  cer- 
tain  that  Bctin  is  identical  with  it.     To-day  it 
IS  a  poor  village  on  a  hill,  with  wretched  huts 
and  about  five  hundred  inhabitants.     It  is  on  a 
hi  1  with  higher  hills  around  it,  and  on  every 
side  are  stretches  of  rocks,  some  of  which  may 
have  served  Jacob  for  a  pillow,  pillar,  and  altar. 
In  the  highest  part  of  the  village  there  are  the 
remains  of  a  tower,  and  near-by  are  the  walls  of 
a  church.     There  is  also  an  old   stone  cistern 
made  of  solid  masonry;   it  is  fed  by  two  living 
tountams,  and  herds  of  cattle  may  often  be  seen 
there  drinking,  and  Arab  maidens  fillino-  their 
pitchers.     This  tank,  three  hundred  feet  long  by 
two  hundred  feet  wide,  is  in  a  grass-grown  field. 
Wells_  ni  the   East  are  always  associated  with 
historic  facts  and  many  legends.     It  is  almost 

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SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


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certain  that  it  was  to  this  well  the  maidens  of 
Sarah  came  to  j;et  water,  and  that  it  was  here 
the  cattle  of  Abraham  often  drank.  Standing 
beside  this  well  it  is  easy  to  picture  the  scenes 
of  BethePs  ancient  glory.  A  little  to  the  north 
of  the  village  there  is  a  remarkable  circle  of 
stones,  which  it  is  well-nigh  certain  must  have 
had  a  religious  significance.  Some  of  the  stones 
stand  up  like  columns  or  tombstones  or  some 
sort  of  monuments.  They  remind  one  of  the 
Druidical  circles  of  stones  in  England  and 
Scotland.  One  cannot  resist  the  spell  of  time, 
locality,  and  association  here. 

Let  us  dismount  from  our  horses.  As  has  al- 
ready been  said,  while  the  distance  from  Jeru- 
salem is  comparatively  short,  yet  we  need  a  little 
change  after  three  hours  of  rough  riding.  Let 
us  now  take  our  Bibles  and  give  ourselves  up 
to  the  charm  of  the  place  while  we  refresh  our 
minds  with  the  biblical  incidents.  Up  the  val- 
ley yonder  came  Abraham  and  Lot  from  the  Jor- 
dan, when  on  their  way  from  the  far  East  they 
first  pitched  their  tents  in  Palestine.  Perhaps 
their  tents  were  just  where  we  stand.  On  this 
hill  near  us  it  may  be  they  parted.  Lot  choosing 
the  rich  plain  of  the  Jordan,  which  plain  we 
now  clearly  see  as  we  stand  on  this  knoll.  Lot 
showed  his  selfishness  and  Abraham  his  great 
magnanimity  in  this  transaction.  Here  at 
Bethel  Abraham  reared  an  altar  and  called  upon 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  who  had  promised  this 
land  to  him  and  his  seed  forever.  From  Bethel 
Abraham  went  into  Egypt,  fell  into  temptation, 


I 


BETIIKI,   TO  SHILOH 


l6l 


and  dishonored  God   before  the  heathen   kinij 
who  sent  him  away  out  of  the  land.     One  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years  pass.     Jacob  is  now  here  on 
Ins  way  from  the  south  to  rest  at  night  wliile 
fleeing  from  his  justly  angered  brother.     He  has 
traveled  forty  miles.     He  has  the  worst  of  all 
traveling  companions,  a  guilty  conscience,     He 
IS  alone.     He  is  exposed  to  danger.     Near   is 
the  town  of  Luz.     Its  lights  mav  be  seen  •    its 
voices    heard.      But   he   does    not   enter    '  He 
might  be  discovered.     He  is  on  the  backbone  of 
lalestine.     All    about    him    lie    great    stones. 
Ihey  are  like  steps  in  a  stair.     That  thought 
deeply  impressed  me  as  I  looked  about  with  this 
narrative  in  my  mind.     We  read  that  he  "  took 
of  the  stones  of  that  place,  and  put  them  for 
his   pillows,    and    lay   down   on   that   place   to 
sleep."     These  stones  arranged  like  steps  of  a 
stair  were  the  last  sight  before  his  eyes  as  he 
went  to  sleep.     Then  came  his  dreams,  and  the 
stones  became  a  mystic  ladder,  reaching  from 
earth   to  heaven,   and  over  its  steps  welit   the 
angels,  ascending  and  descending.     He  awoke ; 
he  made  the  solemn  vrvv  which  consecrated  hiiii 
to  the  service  of   God.     As  he  awakes  he  ex- 
claims :    "  This  is  none  other  than  the  house  of 
God,  and   this  is  the  gate  of  heaven."'     The 
stone  which  had  been  his  pillow  he  set  up  for 
a  pillar  and  poured  oil  upon  it.     He  also  built 
an  altar  and  the  name  of  the  place  was  changed 
from  Luz  to  Bethel,  "  House  of  God."    That  stone 


'  Gen.  28  :  11-22. 
I. 


l62 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURES 


I 


:f}'\ 


7  If: 


was  the  prophecy  of  all  our  churches  in  every 
land.  Tradition  says  that  it  wus  taken  to  Jeru- 
salem, thence  to  Spain,  thence  to  Ireland,  thence 
to  Scotland,  and  thence  tr  England,  and  that  it 
is  now  built  into  the  coronation  chair  which 
stands  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

Possibly  Jacob  erected  some  rude  building 
over  the  altar ;  if  so,  this  was  the  first  local 
religious  building  ever  erected  on  the  earth,  the 
first  architectural  witness  to  the  worship  of  the 
living  God.  Thirty  years  later  Jacob  again 
visited  Bethel ;  there  he  pitched  his  tent  and 
reconsecrated  the  spot  in  fulfillment  of  his  vow, 
and  there  he  received  renewed  covenant  promises 
from  God.  Here  under  an  oak  tree  he  buried 
Deborah,  Rachel's  nurse.  Bethel  was  captured 
by  Joshua  and  given  to  Benjamin.  Here  the 
Ark  of  the  Covenant  and  probably  the  taber- 
nacle long  remained.  Here  at  times  Saul  held 
his  court.  After  the  days  of  Solomon,  Bethel 
became  the  seat  of  gross  idolatry.  Jeroboam 
chose  it,  because  of  the  early  sacredness  attached 
to  it,  as  the  place  for  one  of  his  golden  calves, 
in  order  that  he  might  wean  the  hearts  of  the 
people  from  the  worship  of  God  in  Jerusalem. 
There  was  now  a  more  stately  sanctuary,  a 
splendid  temple  to  rival  that  at  Jerusalem. 
Bethel  thus  became  the  centei  of  idolatrous 
offerings ;  it  was  well  situated  also  to  intercept 
those  who  would  go  up  to  Jerusalem  to  worship. 
The  prophets  of  Judah  were  sent  to  cry  out 
against  this  idolatrous  worship,  for  the  name  of 
this  once  hallowed  center  of  divine  worship  was 


v( 


i 


BKTHEU  TO  SHILOH 


163 


changed  from  Bethel,  "House  of  God,"  to  Beth- 
aven,  "  House  of  Naught,"  and  so  of  "  Idols  " 

Punishment  of  the  people's  idolatry  did  not 
long  linger.     Amos  had  prophesied  that  Bethel 
should    come    to    naught,     (iod    will    not    be 
mocked.     A  great  feast  day  had  come.     Before 
the  altar  near  the  golden  calf  stood  Jeroboam  in 
the  magnificent  temple  which  he  had  built.     A 
prophet  of  God  appears  and  declares  that  one 
Josiah,  of  Judah,  shall  be  born,  who  shall  burn 
the   idolatrous    priests  on   that   very  spot.     He 
further  declared  that  as  a  sign  the  altar  should 
now  be  rent  and  the  ashes  poured  out.     Jeroboam 
was  filled  with  wrath.     He  put  forth  his  hand 
toward  the  man  of  God,  crying  out :   "  Lay  hold 
on    him!"    and    instantaneously   his   arm    was 
withered  and  he  could  not  draw  it  to  him  again. 
The  altar  was  rent  from  top  to  bottom  and  the 
ashes  were  poured  out ;   and  in  due  time  Josiah 
did  lay  waste  that  spot,  even  as  the  prophet  of 
God  had  declared,  and  Bethel  has  been  practi- 
cally a  waste  from  that  dav  to  this  day.     This 
dramatic  story  is  found  in 'full  in  i  Kings  12 
13  and  2  Kings  23  :  15-20.  ' 

It  was  near  Bethel  that  "there  came  forth 
two  she  bears  out  of  the  wood,  and  tare  forty 
and  two  children,"  who  had  said  to  Elisha,  "Go 
up,^  thou  bald  head."  After  the  Babylonish  cap- 
tivity Bethel  was  inliabited  by  the  Bcnjamites. 
In  later  times  the  Romans,  under  Vespasian,  cap- 
tured  It,  and  in  due  time  it  dwindled  down  to  its 
present  poverty  and  wretched  insignificance. 
As  we  have  already  seen,  Ai  is  but  a  short  dis- 


164 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LIXTURES 


<  ■■ 


>.<,i 


^r^'^ 


tance  from  liethel ;  Ai,  celebrated  as  the  place  of 
Joshua's  defeat  and  later  of  his  victory.  Lcavin<j 
Bethel  we  travel  at  first  over  a  rougli  road,  but 
after  ridiujr  an  hour  we  come  to  one  of  the  most 
fertile  regions  of  Palestine,  a  region  abounding 
with  vineyards  and  orchards,  a  region  still  bear- 
ing signs  of  the  blessing  of  Ephraim.  Northeast 
of  Bethel  and  Ai  is  Ephraim.  With  this  place 
we  may  identify  the  city  of  Eiphraim  of  ihe  New 
Testament  to  which  our  Lord  withdrew  with  his 
disciples,  after  the  raising  of  Lazarus.  Places  of 
great  interest  are  soon  to  be  visited,  but  now 
we  ride  from  Bethel  near  Ain  Yebrud  through 
tlie  valley  or  glen  Wady  el-Haramiyeh,  "Glen  of 
the  Robbers,"  a  place  of  frequent  bloody  trage- 
dies, and  we  reach  the  modern  Seilim,  the  ancient 
and  sacred  Shiloh.  Here  the  tabernacle  of  the 
Lord  was  first  permanently  set  up  in  Palestine — 
the  Lord's  tent. 

Our  livinfj  head  who  dwells  in  Shiloh, 
His  bright  sanctuary. 

We  learn  from  these  narratives  that  we  ought 
in  all  our  journeys  to  have  an  altar  unto  the 
Lord.  ^lost  interesting  are  the  suggestions 
which  come  to  tts  from  Jacob's  visit  to  Bethel ; 
he  needed  both  rebuke  and  discouragement.  He 
sinned  against  his  brother,  against  his  father, 
and  against  his  God.  God  intended  that  the 
younger  should  rule  over  the  elder,  but  God  did 
not  need  Jacob's  sin  in  order  that  the  divine 
promises  might  be  fulfilled.  Good  ends  do  not 
justify  bad  means.   That  is  a  hypocritical  as  well 


BKTiiEi,  TO  siiaon 


165 

as  a  Jesuitical  and  Satanic  teaching  which  implies 
that  any  means  may  be  adopted  if  only  the  ends 
sought  are  good.  Rehckah  was  guilty  of  most 
luijust  favoritism  in  dealing  with  her  son.  She 
wronged  her  husband,  her  elder  son,  her  younger 
son,  and  herself,  and  dishonored  God  by  her  con- 
duct. Nowhere  does  the  Bible  endorse  the  lie 
which  she  enacted,  and  ceverelv  was  she  punished 
for  her  perfidy.  She  probably  never  saw  Jacob 
again  after  he  left  the  parental  roof.  She  cheated 
her  husband  most  abominably  and  brought  im- 
measurable sorrow  into  the  en'tire  household. 

Jacob's  dream  shows  us  that  heaycn  and  earth 
may  be  near.     The  ladder  which  he  .saw  sug- 
gests the  clo.se  union  between  the  two.     It  also 
teaches  us  that  heavenly  beings  may  constantly 
be  passing  from  one  mansion  to  another  mans-on 
of  the  Father's  great  house.     Our  Lord  empna- 
sizes  this  same  truth  when  he  said  to  Nathanael  : 
"Hereafter  ye  shall  see  heaven  open,  and  the 
angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending  uiwii 
the  Son  of  man."     It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that 
here  the  angels  are  spoken  of  as  ascending  before 
they  are  described  as  descending.     Some  of  the 
Fathers   of   the   church   .saw  in   the    ladder   of 
Jacob's  vision  a  suggestion  of  the  incarnation  of 
Christ.     He  is  the  true  ladder  between  God  and 
man.     In  his  divinity  he  reaches  to  heaven  ;  in 
his  humanity  he  touches  the  earth.     Up   tliis 
ladder  we  may  climb;   he  became  the   Son  of 
Man  that  the  sons  of  men  might  become  the  sons 
of  God.     Over  tlie  head  of  every  cliild  of  God  as 
he  sleeps,  angels  may  hover,  and  above  him  may 


i66 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURES 


;    I 


1   I 


.-..  t 


be  the  j^^rcat  God  bending  over  him  in  benedic- 
tion. 

The  later  history  of  Bctliel  shows  ns  at  once 
both  the  fulfilhncnt  of  Ciod's  promises  of  bless- 
ing and  the  certainty  of  the  infliction  of  de- 
served pnnishment.  It  is  a  lerrible  thing  to  op- 
pose the  living  God.  When  God's  people  sinned 
by  disobeying  his  command  they  were  powerless 
in  overcoming  their  foes.  The  defeat  of  Joshua 
at  Ai  led  him  to  make  careful  inquiry  and  to 
discover  the  transgressor.  Sin  to-day  cuts  the 
nerves  of  power.  Sin  robs  us  of  intellectual 
vigor  and  spiritual  enjoyment.  The  church  of 
God  would  be  irresistible  if  it  were  entirely  con- 
strained by  the  love  of  Christ,  and  were  living 
always  in  the  exercise  of  perfect  obedience  to 
God.  When  Christians  so  live  men  take  knowl- 
edge of  them  that  they  have  been  with  Jesus  and 
have  learned  of  him.  When  thcv  so  live  the 
church  becomes  "clear  as  the  sun,  fair  as  the 
moon,  and  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners." 
Jacob's  ladder  will  ever  be  fruitful  in  suggestion, 
instruction,  and  inspiration. 

'Twas  thus  the  ladder's  lowest  round 

Rose  up  where,  faint  and  weary  thrown, 
The  Patriarch's  head  no  pillow  found 

More  gentle  than  the  stone. 
Yet  //ure  he  caught  the  message  bright 

That  sounded  down  the  golden  spars. 
And  track' d,  in  dreams,  the  steps  of  light 

That  stretch' d  beyond  the  stars. 
And  knew  they  were  the  shining  road 
That  took  the  angels  up  to  God. 


'm 


XV 


SHILOH — " PKACK  " 

I   HAVE  already  briefly  iiicntioiicd  the   route 
from  Bethel  to  Shiloh,  but  it  is  worthy  of 
fuller   description.     \'incs,  fifr.s,   and    olives    re- 
iiiiiid  us  that  we  are  in  the  fruitful  territory  of 
Kphraini.     We  pass  over  some  very  rou^di  roads 
and  a  height  crowned  with  a  ruin  called  Kasr  el- 
Berdawil,   "  Castle  of  Haldwin."     We  then  take 
the   road   to  the   north,  leading  past   ruins  and 
grand  olive  trees.     Near  us  is  Jifna,  the  ancient 
Gophnah,  which  lies  in  a  pleasant  oasis  and  con- 
tains about   four   hundred  inhabitants,  most   of 
whom  are  Christians.     There  are  a  Latin  monas- 
tery and  church,  and  to  the  south  of  the  village 
is  a  Greek  church.     From  Jifna  there  is  a  road 
to  Tibneh,  supposed  to  be  the  ancient  Timnath- 
serah,  where  the  tomb  of  Joshua  is  pointed  out 
among  other  rock  graves.     There  is  the  narrow 
valley  with  its  lonely  environs,  which  seems  to 
justify  the  name  given  to  it,  "The  Spring  of  the 
Robbers."     The  water  is  remarkably  good  as  it 
trickles  down  from  the  base  of  the  cliff.     Soon 
we  are  at  Sinjil,  a  small  village  named  originally 
Casale  Saint  Giles  by  the  crusaders,  from  Count 
Raymond   of   Saint   Giles.      We   must   make  a 
slight  digression  to  reach  Shiloh,  but  it  will  well 

if,7 


1 68 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   I.KCTURKS 


^■, 


repay  us  to  go  to  this  ancient  place.  After  a 
number  of  turnings  and  tlie  avoidance  of  differ- 
ent pathways,  we  are  at  tliese  very  interesting 
ruins.  Without  doubt  Seiliin  is  identical  with 
the  Shiloh  of  Scripture.  Shiloh  is  to-day  a 
large  heap  of  ruins.  Standing  beside  these  ruins, 
if  the  traveler  has  any  real  knowledge  of  Scrip- 
ture, his  first  thought  on  beholding  the  mound 
covered  with  masses  of  dihn's^  huge  stones,  and 
pieces  of  broken  columns,  will  be  the  singularly 
graphic  fulfillment  of  the  prophecy  of  Jeremiah 
when  he  said  :  "  Go  ye  now  unto  my  place  which 
was  in  Shiloh,  where  I  set  my  name  at  the  first, 
and  see  what  I  did  to  it  for  the  wickedness  of 
my  people,  Israel.  And  now,  because  ye  have 
done  all  these  works,  saith  the  Lord,  and  I  spake 
unto  you,  .  .  but  ye  heard  not;  .  .  therefore 
will  I  do  unto  this  house  ...  as  I  have  done 
to  Shiloh."  '  Jeremiah  is  here  using  Shiloh  as 
a  type  of  the  destruction  which  should  fall  on 
the  house  of  the  Lord  in  Jerusalem.  He  there- 
fore adds,  in  26  :  6  :  "I  will  make  this  house 
like  Shiloh,  and  will  make  this  city  a  curse  to 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth." 

The  traveler  may  then  well  think  of  the  inter- 
esting historical  events  which  cluster  about  the 
name  and  place.  Bear  in  mind  that  we  are 
about  twenty  miles  north  of  Jerusalem,  twelve 
miles  soutii  of  Shechem,  and  two  mibs  east  of 
the  main  road  between  them  by  way  of  Bethel. 
When   the  Promised    Land   was    subdued,    the 


'  Jer.  7  :  12-I4. 


SIIII.OH — "  PEACK  " 


169 


Israelites  assembled  here  and  established  the  ark 
and  the  tabernacle,  which  had  prcvionsly  been 
at  Gilgal.  Here  Joshna  allotted  jxjrtions  to  the 
seven  tribes  not  yet  located.  Ileve  the  ark  and 
the  tabernacle,  the  symbols  of  the  worship  of 
Jehovah,  remained  dnring  the  period  of  the 
judcres.  In  a  little  valley  are  a  sprinj^  and  pool 
aflordinj^  an  abundant  snpply  of  water.  This 
was  in  all  probability  the  scene  of  the  dancinj^ 
of  the  daughters  of  Shiloh  in  connection  with 
the  yearly  festivals.  There  were  the  three  j^reat 
annual  feasts — the  Passover,  the  feast  of  Tente- 
cost,  and  the  feast  of  Tabernacles,  after  the 
fruits  of  the  earth  were  all  j^athered.  This  fea.st 
was  a  national  harvest  home.  It  was  observed 
with  dances  on  the  green  near  the  ancient  well, 
and  at  one  of  the  feasts  the  renniants  of  the 
Benjamites  seized  the  daughters  of  {Shiloh  for 
wives.  To  Shiloh  Hannah  came  to  pray  ;  tlierc 
her  vow  was  made  and  there  it  was  fulfilled. 
In  Shiloh  Samuel  grew  up;  to  this  place  he  was 
brought  from  Ramah  and  given  to  the  Lord  by 
his  grateful  mother.  Hither  came  the  mother 
to  the  yearly  sacrifice,  bringing  with  her  the 
little  coat  for  the  boy  Samuel,  who  ministered 
before  the  Lord.  Here  were  committed  the  sins 
of  the  sons  of  Eli,  and  here  sat  the  old  man 
waiting  for  news  of  the  battle  with  the  Philis- 
tines. Up  this  valley  ran  the  messenger  with 
torn  garments  and  with  ashes  on  his  head  to 
announce  the  ark's  capture  by  the  Philistines. 
Here  Eli  fell  backward  and  broke  his  neck  on 
receiving  the  fearful  tidings.     Terrible  was  the 


170 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    MXTrUKS 


^V 


^  (^ 


w'    ) 


news  that  his  sons  we-c  dead,  hut  most  tcrril)le 
was  the  news  that  the  ark  was  taken.  He  re- 
garded the  desolation  of  (iod's  liouse  as  sadder 
than  the  desolation  of  his  ovvn  home.  The  piti- 
fnl  messajje  brony^ht  sorrow  to  the  now  widowed 
woman,  who  could  not  be  comforted  with  the 
birth  of  a  boy  when  his  father  was  dead  and  the 
ark  taken,  and  with  her  dyinjjf  breath  she  called 
the  child  "  Ichabod,"  because  the  glory  was 
departed. 

With  the  loss  of  the  ark  vShiloh  lost  all.  Taken 
by  the  Philistines,  the  ark  never  was  returned 
to  Shiloh,  and  from  that  time  the  city  is  seldom 
mentioned.  To  Shiloh  came  in  disguise  the 
wife  of  Jeroboam  to  consult  the  prophet  Ahijah 
as  to  the  recovery  of  her  darling  child.  vShc 
was  told  of  the  coming  extermination  of  the 
whole  royal  family,  and  also  of  the  death  of  the 
sick  child  the  moment  her  feet  should  touch  the 
door  ;  and  all  these  sad  prophecies  were  literally 
fulfilled,  as  we  see  by  i  Kings  14  :  1-17. 

At  Shiloh  we  naturally  expect  to  see  traces  of 
the  tabernacle,  where  the  ark  for  hundreds  of 
years  remained.  Major  Wilson  has  pointed  out 
such  traces.  The  unusual  title  of  the  principal 
mosque  at  Shiloh  suggested  the  tradition  of  the 
presence  here  of  the  tabernacle  of  God.  That 
title  is :  "  Mosque  of  the  Eternal."  In  Gen. 
49  :  xo,  Christ  is  called  Shiloh  :  "  Until  Shiloh 
come,  and  unto  him  shall  the  gathering  of  tlie 
people  be."  Shiloh  was  the  place  to  which 
God's  chosen  people  gathered,  as  we  have  al- 
ready seen ;    so   unto    Christ   as   the   complete 


I 


snii.oii — "pkack" 


171 


Shiloh  slionlcl  men  come.  This  prophecy,  as  I 
stood  by  the  ruins,  was  full  of  cheer  and  hope, 
full  of  truth  and  j;ladness.  Christ  said  :  "  An(l 
I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all 
men  unto  me."  Already  this  glorious  prophecy 
is  havinj^  its  fulfillment,  (iod  hasten  its  full 
realization ! 


le 

at 

n. 

oh 


TiBNKH  OR  TiMNATH-SKRAH. — This  placc  I 
did  not  visit,  although,  as  already  slated,  I  was 
near  it ;  but  it  is  so  important  that  I  ought  not 
to  pass  it  by  without  a  fuller  reference.  Tim- 
natli-serah  has  been  identified  as  the  modern 
Tibneli  west  of  Shiloh.  It  is  referred  to  in 
Joshua  19  :  50,  and  also  24  :  30,  and  also  in 
other  places.  It  furnished  Joshua  a  home  and 
an  income  in  his  lifetime  and  a  burial-place 
when  he  died.  It  is  a  very  interesting  fact  that 
recently  Joshua's  tomb  is  supposed  to  have  been 
discovered  by  M.  (inerin,  who  was  engaged  by 
the  French  government  in  scientific  explorations 
in  Palestine.  He  located  it  at  Tibneh,  or,  as  he 
calls  it  in  French,  Tign6.  And  this  place  he 
considers  to  be  the  ancient  Timnath-serah,  the 
heritage  of  Joshua.  There  are  many  tombs  in 
the  hills  at  this  place.  There  is  one,  however, 
with  a  vestibule  supported  by  two  columns,  and 
the  place  is  furnished  with  nearly  three  hundred 
niches  for  lamps.  The  vestibule  gives  entrance 
to  two  chambers,  one  containing  fifteen  recepta- 
cles for  coffins,  and  the  other  one.  M.  Guerin 
believes  that  the  body  of  Joshua  was  placed  in 
this  single  receptacle.     In  the  Scptuagint  it  is 


\i^\ 


w 


V"] 


172 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    LECTURES 


stated  that  the  sliarp  flint  knives  with  which  at 
Gilgal  the  distinctive  Jewish  rite  was  performed 
were  buried  in  Joshua's  tomb.  On  removing 
the  dkbris  which  covered  the  floor  of  the  tomb, 
M  Ouerin  found  a  number  of  flint  knives,  and 
on  making  some  excavations  atOilgal  a  number 
of  similar  knives  were  found.  There  is  a  fillet 
surrounding  tlie  pillars  in  the  vestibule  of  the 
tomb  which  indicates  an  Egyptian  style  of  orna- 
mentation in  the  tombs,  and  so  argues  that  the 
toml>  was  erected  at  a  period  which  harmonizes 
with  the  time  of  Joshua.  This  is  certainly  a 
very  interesting  find.  God  is  bringing  from  the 
.sands  of  the  desert  and  from  many  hoary  tombs 
witnesses  to  the  truth  of  his  word. 


H 


i  ■1i 


t 


r^^ 


I  •< 


Hastening  to  Jacob's  Wr,ij.. — The  sun  was 
hot  as  we  hastened  forward  on  our  journey  to 
Jacob's  Well,  but  the  plain  over  which  we  pass 
must  present  in  springtime  a  green  and  attract- 
ive appearance.  Descending  into  the  Wady  el- 
Lubban  we  soon  reached  a  fountain  of  excel- 
lent water  beside  a  ruined  khan.  The  place  is 
supposed  to  be  the  ancient  Lebonah,  which  is 
mentioned  in  the  book  of  Judges  in  a  passage 
which  helps  us  to  locate  Shiloh.  Traveling  on 
a  better  road,  passing  a  village  and  a  khan, 
descending  to  another  khan  and  having  our 
luncheon,  we  tlien  go  up  a  hill  to  a  plateau, 
where  a  glorious  view  greeted  us.  Before  us  is 
a  plain  surrounded  by  the  hills  of  vSamaria.  On 
the  left  is  Gerizim  and  beyond  that  rises  Ebal, 
and  away  to  the  north  is  the  magnificent  snow- 


SIIILOH — "  I'KACK  " 


^n 


clad  Herinon.  All  about  us  are  evidences  of 
fertility;  the  "jijood  things"  promised  to  the 
tribe  of  Kphraini  still  remain.  The  olive  and 
the  fi^  and  the  vine  still  abound.  We  are  now, 
and  have  been  for  some  time,  in  Samaria.  Who 
are  the  Samaritans?  This  is  an  interesting^ 
question.  Later  it  will  be  answered  more  fully, 
but  a  partial  answer  now  will  help  us. 

After  Israel  had  been  conquered  by  the  As- 
syrians the  territory  lay  waste,  except  as  it  was 
inhabited  by  colonif-ts  from  the  east.  These 
were  pagans.  The  king  of  Assyria  sent  thetn 
some  Jewish  priests ;  as  a  result  the  people 
adopted  a  mixed  religion.  They  became  by 
blood  and  faith  mongrel  Jews.  We  are  told 
that  "they  feared  the  Lord  and  worshipped  their 
own  gods."  The  Jews  disliked  them  and  re- 
jected their  offers  of  help  in  building  the  second 
temple.  The  Samaritans,  however,  built  a 
temple  for  themselves.  The  Jews  in  Christ's 
time  had  no  dealings  with  the  Samaritans. 
Both  Jews  and  Mohammedans  oppose  them  to 
this  day. 

The  plain  of  El-^Iukhna,  along  which  we 
ride,  is  the  most  beautiful  and  fruitful  of  val- 
leys. It  is  about  ten  miles  long  and  nearly  two 
wide.  We  take  the  road  which  leads  to  Jacob's 
Well.  Our  horses  for  hours  have  been  carefully 
picking  their  way  over  stony  places ;  now  there 
is  a  chance  for  a  brisk  canter,  and  as  such  oppor- 
tunities in  Palestine  are  rare,  horses  and  riders 
are  ready  for  a  gallop  in  this  beautiful  anu  his- 
toric plain.     It  is  approaching  evening  ;  the  sun 


1/4 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    LECTURES 


\'i 


^ 


'■•i> 


Vi^ 


.  ij 


is  westering.  We  mounted  our  horses  before 
sunrise ;  we  are  tired,  but  glad  and  grateful  as 
we  ride.  Glorious  are  these  lofty  moiintains  of 
Gerizim  and  Ebal ;  beautiful  is  this  plain. 
Here  perhaps  grew  the  grain  which  suggested 
to  our  Lord  the  ripening  harvest  among  the 
Samaritans.  Before  us  is  Nablus,  and  here 
beside  us  is  a  very  sacred  spot ;  it  is  als:  one  of 
the  best  authenticated  spots  in  Palestine.  It  is 
Jacob's  Well.  We  dismount ;  our  legs  are  stiff 
and  sore ;  our  lips  are  dry  from  the  hot  sun  and 
wind.  But  our  souls  are  tender,  grateful,  and 
joyous.  All  about  us  are  Russian  pilgrims, 
footsore  and  weary  ;  they  are  mending  their  gar- 
ments and  shoes  and  taking  part  in  the  worship 
at  the  evening  service  beside  the  immortal  well. 
We  have  yet  to  hasten  to  Nablus,  but  we  shall 
refresh  our  lips  and  hearts  beside  the  well  on 
whose  curb  sat  Jesus  at  the  noonday  hour.  Of 
this  well  I  shall  speak  at  greater  length  here- 
after. 

We  see  here,  as  we  have  seen  so  frequently  in 
our  discussions  of  sacred  sites,  how  modern  dis- 
coveries are  proving  the  truth  of  Scripture 
declarations.  There  is  scarcely  a  day  but  we 
find  that  even  the  secular  papers  are  bearin^f 
witness  to  the  harmony  between  the  discoveries 
of  modern  science  and  the  teachings  of  the  old 
Bible.  The  critics  took  the  pen  to  confute  the 
prophets  and  evangelists,  and  now  we  see  ex- 
cavators taking  the  spade  to  confute  the  critics. 
Again  and  again  it  has  been  affirmed  that  there 
was  no  record  on  the  monuments  of  Egypt  cor- 


SHILOH — "peace" 


175 


roboratinor  the  statements  of  tlie  Old  Testament 
rcgardinor  the  residence  of  the  Israelites  in  that 
land.     This  assertion  has  freqnently  been  used 
by  those  wlio  attack  the  credibility  of  the  Old 
Testament.     Professor    Toy,    of    Harvard    Uni- 
versity, in  lectnrin<r  recently  in  New  York  City 
on  the  Old  Testament,  called  attention  repeat- 
edly and  significantly  to  this  supposed  omission. 
We   now  find   that   Prof.    Flinders   Petrie,   in  a 
recent  number  of  the  "  Contemporary  Review," 
gives  a  full  account  of  the  discovery  of  a  marble 
slab  in  his  excavations  at  Thebes.     This  slab 
contains  six  thousand  signs,  and  Professor  Petrie 
gives  Mr.  Griffith's  translation  of  one  inscription. 
It  is  worthy  of  our  consideration.     This  inscrip- 
tion describes  a  Libyan  invasion  ;   i<-  gives  also 
a  list  of  conquests   in   the  East.     In  recording 
these   conquests    this   sentence   occurs :     "  The 
people  of  Ysiraal   is  spoiled,   it   hath   no  seed  ; 
Syria   has  become   as  widows   in   the   land  of 
Egypt."     I\Iany  explanations  have  been  given 
of  the  phrase,  "  hath  no  seed."     Professor  Petrie 
gives  five  different  explanations,  but  the  matter 
of  chief  importance  for  us  is  that  an  inscription 
is  found  giving  a  clear  account  of  Israel  as  in  close 
association  with  the  Hittites  and  Syrians.     The 
entire  story  of  this  marble  slab  is  deeply  inter- 
esting, but  it  is  not  our  purpose  here  to  enlarge 
upon  the  details  of  the  discovery.     The  amount 
of  inscription  on  it  is  very  great  and  its  con- 
dition is  perfect,  not  a  single  sign  being  defaced 
or  even  injured.     It  is  affirmed  that  the  scenes 
are  as  complete  and  the  faces  of  the  figures  as 


176 


SLNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURKS 


\m\>\ 


fresh  and  bright  as  if  all  the  work  had  hcen  done 
yesterday.  It  is  delightful  to  the  student  of  the 
Bible,  even  though  he  considers  it  only  as  his- 
tory, to  see  how  its  statements  are  confirmed  by 
the  discoveries  of  modern  science  in  its  various 
forms  of  activity.  Doubtless  this  process  will 
continue.  IMany  of  the  critics  and  skeptics  of 
to-day  will  be  utterly  routed  by  the  discoveries 
of  earnest  excavators  and  by  the  interpretations 
of  competent  critics  in  future  generations.  God 
is  proving,  as  seldom  before  in  the  history  of  the 
human  race,  that  his  word  shall  stand  whatever 
else  may  fall.  "  The  grass  "  of  infidel  oratory 
"withereth,"  the  "flower"  of  infidel  science 
"fadeth,  but  the  word  of  our  God  shall  stand 
forever." 


1 

i 

>'. 

1 

■\ 

f  ■ 

;! 

1 

il 

i 

,l( 

I 


■s 


» 


\h 


XVI 

JACOB'S  WELL  AND  JOSEPH'S   TOMB 

IT  was  toward  eveiiincr  when  we  reached  this 
deeply  interesting  place.  We  had  already 
been  about  ten  hours  on  our  horses  for  that  day, 
and  we  had  still  to  ride  to  Nablus,  or  Shecheni, 
distant  nearly  a  half-hour's  ride ;  but  the  topo- 
.i>raphical  and  historical  charms  of  the  locality 
held  us  under  their  spell.  I  have  few  memories 
of  the  Holy  Land  more  vivid  and  delightful 
than  those  connected  with  this  sacred  spot. 

After  riding  uj  the  long  valley  of  El-Mukhna 
we  turned  the  northeast  corner  of  Mount  Gcr- 
izim,  rode  about  half  an  hour  more  and  then 
turned  to  the  right  of  the  road,  and  we  were  at 
the  famous  well  Adjoining  it  are  the  ruins  of 
an  old  church  and  heaps  of  rubbish  are  piled  up 
on  every  side.  The  well  belongs  to  the  Greek 
Church,  and  while  I  stood  beside  it  a  service  was 
in  progress  under  the  leadership  of  a  priest  of 
that  church.  He  read  the  account  given  in  the 
fourth  chapter  of  John's  Gospel  of  the  interview 
between  Christ  and  the  woman  of  Samaria.  I 
could  catch  enough  of  the  words  to  guide  me  as 
to  what  was  the  subject  of  the  reading.  The 
people  listened  with  opcn-cvcd  wonder,  when 
they  were  not  kneeling  before  the  priest  or  kiss- 

M  ,77 


i 


178 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LICCTURKS 


ing  parts  of  the  crumbling  structure  about  the 
well. 

There  is  a  very  general  agreement  among 
Jews,  Christians,  and  Moslems  that  this  is  the 
well  of  Jacob.  The  tradition  to  this  effect  is 
traceable  as  far  back  as  the  fourth  centnrv.  The 
location  of  the  well  is  highly  favorable  to  this 
general  opinion ;  it  is  on  the  high-road  from 
Jerusalem  to  Galilee,  and  is  thus  in  full  har- 
mony with  the  narrative  in  the  fourth  chapter  of 
John's  Gospel,  to  which  reference  has  already 
been  made.  The  Samaritan  woman  came  from 
Sychar,  which  is  probably  identical  with  the 
modern  Asker.  Her  language  to  Christ  shows 
us  that  in  that  early  day  this  well  was  supposed 
to  be  Jacob's,  and  that  the  neighboring  field  was 
that  which  he  purchased  and  where  Joseph  after- 
ward was  buried.  Dor.tor  Hauna  tells  us  that 
this  is  the  only  limited  and  well-defined  locality 
in  Palestine  that  we  may  with  certainty  connect 
with  the  presence  of  our  divine  Lord  and  Master. 
He  thus  writes :  "  You  cannot  in  all  Palestine 
draw  a  circle  of  limited  diameter  within  whose 
circumference  you  can  be  absolutely  certain  that 
Jesus  once  stood,  except  round  Jacob's  well ;  and 
I  had  the  greatest  possible  desire  to  tread  that 
circle  round  and  round,  and  to  sit  here  and  there 
and  everywhere  around  the  well's  mouth,  that 
I  might  gratify  a  long  cherished  wish."  And 
then  he  adds  :  "  How  bitter  a  disappointment  on 
reaching  it  to  find  no  open  space  at  the  well- 
mouth  ;  but  spread  all  around  the  remains  of  an 
old  building,  over  whose  ruinous  wall  we  had  to 


.Lit 


.3 
I 
i 


JACOB'S  WKLI.   AND  JOSKPIl's   TOMB       1 79 

scramble  and  slide  down,  thronc^h  heaps  of  ston^ 
and  rubbish,  till  thronjrh  two  or  three  small  ap- 
ertures we  looked  down  into  the  undiscoverable 
well."  But  notwithstanding  the  partial  disap- 
pointmeiit  of  which  Doctor  Hanna  speaks,  this 
IS  still  one  of  the  most  intcrestiujr  spots  in  Pal- 
estine. 

Before  examining  the  well  itself  let  us  take  in 
our  surroundings.     Around  us  are  the  fields  to 
which  Christ  pointed  when  he  said :   "  Lift  up 
your  eyes  and  look  on  the  fields,  for  they  are 
white  already  to  harvest."  '     On  our  right  is  the 
parcel  of  ground  which  Jacob  gave  to  his  son 
Joseph.     \  onder  is  the  opening  between  the  two 
hills  through  which  Christ  saw  the  groups  of 
people  pouring  down  from  Sychar.     There  on 
the  left  IS  Gerizim,  to  which  the  woman  of  Sa- 
maria may  have  pointed  as  she  said  :  "Our  fathers 
worshipped  in  this  mountain."  ^    An  actual  view 
ot  this  fascinating  place  wonderfullv  illustrates 
and  illumines  the  whole  narrative  as  given  in 
the  fourth  of  John. 

As  you  approach  the  well  you  come  to  an  ir- 
regular chamber  cut  into  the  ground  and  walled 
up  on  the  sides.  Perhaps  the  space  was  once 
nearly  square— about  seventeen  by  fifteen  feet 
^"s  space  was  once  spanned  bv  an  archway, 
and  doubtless  over  it  there  once  was  a  chapel 
built  in  the  fourth  century  and  still  existino-  in 
the  eighth.  The  M^ell  is  in  the  center  of  Uiis 
chamber,  its  mouth  being  concealed  by  heaps  of 


»  John  4  :  35. 


John  4  :  20. 


li-  (  ' 


180 


Sl'XDAV   NIGHT   LKCTURKS 


('/ 


rubbish  and  stones.  It  is  not  a  sprinjr  of  water 
bubbling  up  from  the  earth,  but  is  rather  a  shaft 
cut  into  the  living  rock,  about  nine  feet  in  diam- 
eter and  about  seventy  feet  deep.  Once  it  may 
have  been  twice  as  deep.  !Maundrell,  in  1697, 
found  it  to  be  one  hundred  and  five  feet  deep. 
The  falling  into  it  of  rubbish  and  the  dropping 
of  stones  by  many  tourists  and  pilgrims  have 
greatly  lessened  its  depth.  It  was  intended  to 
be  a  reservoir  of  water  rather  than  a  means  of 
reaching  a  natural  spring.  If  one  were  to  enter 
the  funnel-shaped  mouth  and  descend,  he  could 
enter  a  sort  of  cave  a  few  feet  below  the  surface, 
and  would  find  the  remains  of  a  small  dome 
which  once  covered  the  mouth. 

Take  in  the  picture  of  Christ  here  sitting  on 
the  well,  wearied  with  his  journe}.  Was  he 
thinking  of  Abraham,  who  built  his  first  altar 
in  the  land  at  this  opening  of  the  plain  ?  Per- 
haps he  thought  of  Jacob,  whose  only  possession 
in  the  land  of  promise  was  here ;  perhaps  of 
Joseph  wandering  in  this  neighborhood  in  search 
of  his  brethren.  Perhaps  he  repeopled  the  sides 
of  Ebal  and  Gerizini,  and  heard  the  "  Amen  "  as 
the  curses  were  pronounced  on  Ebal  and  bless- 
ings on  Gerizim.  Well  might  he  say  in  the 
midst  of  such  associations,  "  I  have  meat  to  eat 
that  ye  know  not  of."  The  whole  neighborhood 
was  full  of  the  tilings  concerning  himself. 

The  question  has  sometimes  been  asked,  why 
should  Jacob  have  dug  this  well  when  springs 
were  so  numerous  in  the  vicinity  ?  But  so  far 
as  we  know  there  was  no  suitable  spring  on  his 


T 


JACOB'S    WKUL    AND   JOSKPIl'S   TOMB       l8l 


part  of  the  groniicl.  He  was  too  wise  to  be  dc- 
peiident  on  others  for  water  for  himself  and  liis 
cattle;  it  was  most  important  that  he  should 
have  a  well  of  his  own.  In  no  part  of  Palestine 
is  water  more  abundant  than  at  Shechcm.  Why, 
then,  did  this  woman  come  to  Jacob's  well  ?  Per- 
haps the  wate?  irom  this  deep  reservoir  was 
cooler  than  ordinary  sprin^r  water,  and  it  is  al- 
most certain  also  that  in  tlie  judj^nient  of  the 
people  a  special  sacredness  attached  to  this  water 
as  taken  from  the  well  of  "our  father  Jacob,"  as 
the  woman  said  to  Jesus.  It  is  not  at  all  un- 
likely that  she  lived  in  that  part  of  the  town  of 
Sychar  situated  nearest  to  the  well. 

About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  north  of  the 
well  is  the  buildinor  shown  as  Joseph's  tomb.  It 
is  exactly  in  the  center  of  the  openin*^  of  the 
valley  between  Gerizim  and  Kbal.  The  present 
structure  is  entirely  modern.  It  was  restored  in 
iS68  by  a  Mr.  Rogers,  the  English  consul.  In 
the  hollows  of  the  tomb  the  Jews,  and  perhaps 
the  Mohammedans,  burn  incense  to  the  memory 
of  Joseph.  The  structure  is  in  good  repair  and 
measures  thirty  by  thirty-five  feet.  It  is  claimed 
that  under  a  particular  spot  is  the  very  dust  of 
Joseph,  and  this  statement  is  possibly  true.  In 
Josh.  24  :  32  it  is  said :  "And  the  bones  of  Joseph 
which  the  children  of  Israel  brought  up  out  of 
Hgypt,  buried  they  in  vSlicchem,  in  a  parcel  of 
ground  which  Jacob  bought  of  the  sons  of  Ila- 
nior,  the  father  of  Shechem,  for  an  hundred 
pieces  of  silver ;  and  it  became  the  inheritance 
of  the  children  of  Joseph." 


1 82 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURKS 


■'i 


■'.  ;  / 


( '/ 


\ ') 


Hut  a  greater  than  Joseph  vas  here.  Shechem 
is  hallowed  because  of  the  presence  of  Jesus. 
This  thought  glorifies  all  Palestine.  Jesus  came 
by  the  very  road  which  I  came,  and  he  looked 
on  sights  on  which  my  eyes  rested  to-day. 

Oh,  here  with  his  flock  the  l)lest  Wanderer  came  ; 

The  hills  he  toiled  over  in  grief  .ire  the  same  ; 

The  founts  where  he  dnink  by  the  wayside  still  flow  ; 

And  the  same  airs  are  blowing  which  breathed  on  his  brow, 

Thk  Valley  ok  Nablus. — We  remount  our 
horses,  turn  to  the  west  and  enter  the  valley  of 
Nablus.  On  our  left  rises  Mount  Ocrizim,  on 
our  right.  Mount  Kbal.  The  valley  itself  is  well 
cultivated  ;  so  are  portions  of  the  sides  of  the 
mountains.  The  sun  is  near  its  setting;  we  have 
been  on  our  horses  for  ten  hours  and  we  and  they 
are  weary.  The  town  of  Nablus  is  just  before 
us,  and  toward  it  we  are  hastening.  In  a  few 
minutes  after  leaving  Jacob's  Well  we  reach  the 
village  of  Balata.  Both  Christian  tradition  and 
Samaritan  chronicles  agree  that  here  stood  the 
oak  of  Abraham.  Under  this  oak  Abraham  had 
worshiped.  Under  this  oak  Jacob,  before  going 
up  to  Bethel,  as  we  learn  from  Gen.  35  :  4,  buried 
the  teraphim,  idols  or  images,  which  were  in 
some  way  regarded  as  objects  of  idolatrous  wor- 
ship. In  coming  to  Shechem  his  family  clung 
to  their  superstitious  worship.  It  is  supposed 
that  these  teraphim  were  figures  somewhat  re- 
sembling the  human  form.  Eastern  people  are 
still  given  to  superstitious  regarding  the  talis- 
manic  power  of  earrings  and  other  charms. 


JACOB'S   WKIJ,   AND  JOSKPIl'S   TOMB       1R3 


Soon  after  wc  reach  a  spriiij^  where  tlicre  arc 
Turkish  barracks  with  a  small  arsenal  and  hos- 
pital. We  now  see  some  o*'  the  many  beauties 
of  this  lovely  valley.  A  reasonably  j^ood  car- 
riaji^e  road  leads  from  this  point  into  the  town  of 
Nablns.  Olive  j^roves  now  Ixj^nn.  Take  in  the 
view:  (ierizim,  on  our  left,  is  three  thousand  one 
hundred  and  seventy-nine  feet  lii^h  ;  and  Hbal 
on  our  ri^ht  is  three  thousand  three  hundred 
and  seventy-five  feet  high.  Their  tops  are  about 
eight  hundred  feet  above  the  town,  which  we 
now  can  see  a  mile  farther  on.  It  clings  to  the 
foot  of  Gerizim  and  extends  nearly  to  Hbal.  The 
locality  is  lovely  in  the  extreme.  Many  streams 
burst  from  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  and  in 
the  springtime  their  sides  are  luxuriant  with  the 
rich  vegetation  and  foliage.  \'egetable  gardens, 
fruit  orchards,  and  groves  of  olives  abound. 
Foliage  is  here  seen  "from  the  deepest  green  to 
the  softest  gray  and  the  most  delicate  russet "  ; 
and  as  Doctor  Fish  remarks,  these  colors  are  "all 
harmoniously  blended,  melting  in  the  distance 
into  the  purple  and  azure  tints  of  the  mountain 
sides  and  summits."  The  music  of  gurgling 
streams  and  the  song  of  birds  and  the  soft  foli- 
age make  a  scene  strangely  fascinating.  Grape 
vines,  flowers  of  endless  variety,  almond,  pome- 
granate, poplar,  walnut,  apple,  fig,  orange,  and 
mulberry  may  all  be  seen  her?.  So  much  of 
Palestine  is  rough,  barren,  and  deserted,  that  this 
town  and  its  environs  present  a  striking  contrast. 
Every  traveler,  in  springtime  especially,  will  en- 
dorse Dean  Stanley's  fine  description  : 


< '/ 


A 


§J  -  >f 


1R4 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    LKCTURKS 


A  valley  preen  with  jjrass  and  gray  with  olives  ;  pardcns 
sloping;  tlown  on  each  side  ;  fresh  sprinj^s  rushing  down  in 
all  directions  ;  at  the  end  a  white  tower  einl)osnineil  in  all  this 
verdure,  lodged  between  the  two  hijjh  mountains  which  ex- 
tend on  each  side  of  the  valley — that  on  the  south,  (ier- 
izim  ;  that  on  the  north,  Ebal.  'I'his  is  the  aspect  of  Nablus, 
tlie  most  beautiful,  perhaps  the  only  very  beautiful,  spot  in 
central  Palestine. 

Soon  we  had  entered  Nablus,  of  vvhicli  I  shall 
speak  later,  and  I  dismounted  at  the  Latin  Mon- 
astery, after  a  ride  of  nearly  eleven  hours,  having 
come  from  Jerusalem  that  day,  and  feelinjj^  suf- 
ficiently weary  to  sleep  on  any  kind  of  a  bed  and 
under  any  sort  of  roof.  It  ou^ht  tu  be  said  that 
the  "  Brothers "  in  this  convent  manifested 
marked  courtesy  to  their  guest.  They  make  no 
charge,  but  all  guests  are  thus  put  in  some  sense 
on  their  honor,  with  an  added  appeal  to  their  re- 
ligious nature,  and  as  a  result  they  pay  more 
than  they  would  at  a  hotel  of  the  same  grade. 

All  who  are  familiar  with  Palestine  and  Syria 
speak  of  the  absence  of  the  soft  atmospheric 
tints  which  give  beauty  in  some  countries.  The 
glowing  tints  abound  in  Palestine,  but  the  soft 
hues  are  wanting  there.  In  the  valley  of  Nablus, 
however,  the  abundance  of  moisture  in  the  at- 
mosphere, caused  by  so  many  streams,  occasions 
the  grayish  blue  and  bluish  gray  tints  which  give 
a  beauty  to  this  neighborhood  that  is  unique  in 
Palestine.  All  the  exhalations  among  the  trees 
tend  to  give  the  soft  blue  gray  and  the  dusky  hues 
which  remove  from  the  mountains  their  harsh 
outlines  and  clothe  them  in  ha/y  robes  of  peer- 
less beauty.     But  the  greatest  charm  which  the 


i 


n 


III. 


^ 


JACOB'S    \Vi:i.I.    AND   JOSlvPIl's   TOMB        1 S5 

Christian  tourist  fxpcriciices  in  this  entire  vi- 
cinity  is  that  ^rivcn  it  by  tlic  presence  and  words 
of  the  Lord  Jesus.     One's  heart  is  moved  as  he 
knows  that  he  is  looking  ujxrn   mountains  and 
valleys  on  which  the  divine-human  eves  of  him 
who  was  Son  of  (lod  and  Son  of  ^tan  rested. 
The  echo  of  his  words  to  the  woman  of  vSamaria 
seems  still   to  he  heard   in  this  historic  valley. 
His  declaration  to  her  of  his  Messiahship,  and  his 
sympathy  with   her  whom  the  Pharisees  would 
have  cast  out,  still  make  his  presence  real  ;  and 
these  elements  of  his  character  find  a  full    en- 
dorsement in  the  broad  thou^rht,  fraternal  feel- 
ing, and  the  sympathetic  impulses  of  the  brother, 
hood  characteristic  of  the  closing  decade  of  the 
nineteenth  century.     Not  Joshua,  not  Jacob,  not 
Joseph,  but   Jesus    preaches   on    these    hilltops. 
Jesus  Christ  fills  Palestine,  fills  the  world  with 
tlie  wisdom  of  his  teaching  and  the  beauty  of 
his  character. 


»! 


14  1 


XVII 

NABLUS   AND   THE   SAMARITANS 

A  GLANCE  at  the  form  of  this  word,  Nabliis, 
shows  that  it  is  a  corruption  of  the  word 
Neapolis,  or  New  Town.  The  fuller  form  of  the 
name  is  Flavia  Neapolis.  The  addition  to  the 
name  commemorated  the  restoration  of  the  town 
by  Flavins  Vespasianns.  This  name  is  one  of 
the  rare  instances  found  in  Palestine  in  which 
the  ancient  Hebrew  name  has  given  place  to  a 
name  of  Roman  origin.  It  was  called  also  Ma- 
mortlia,  which  signifies  "pass,"  or  "place  of  pass- 
age "  ;  but  the  more  ancient  name  is  Shechem, 
which  means  "the  back,"  or  "the  shoulder." 

This  place  brings  us  at  once  into  touch  with 
remote  history.  It  brings  before  us  Abraham, 
the  patriarch,  coming  hither  from  l^r  of  the 
Chaldees ;  here  he  erected  his  first  altar  in  Ca- 
naan.' Later,  Jacob,  his  grandson,  on  his  return 
from  Padan-aram,  encamped  near  Shechem,  then 
a  city  of  the  Hivites ;  down  here  at  the  right  he 
crossed  the  Jordan  with  his  "two  bands";  he 
bought  a  parcel  of  land,  pitched  his  tent,  and 
dug  the  famous  well,  of  which  I  have  already 
spoken.  Tlie  land  which  he  bought  he  be- 
queathed as  a  special   portion   to  Joseph,   who 

'  Gen.  12  :  6,  7. 
186 


\ ;, 


NABLUS   AND   THE   SAMARITANS 


1S7 


also  erected  an  altar.'     After  the  conquest  of  the 
land    Shcchem    fell    to   the  lot   of   the   tribe  of 
Ephraim ;    but  it  was  assij^ucd   to   the   Levitcs 
and    became    a   city   of   refuge.     While  Joshua 
lived   this  town  was  a  center  of  union   to   the 
tribes  ;  probably  because  it  was  the  nearest  laro-c 
town  to  Timnath-serah  which,  it  will  be  renicni- 
bered,    was    the    residence    of   Joshua    hiinself. 
After  the  death  of  Gideon  it  became  the  scene 
of  the  revolt  of  Abimelcch,   who   induced   the 
Shechemites   to  rebel    and    select  him  as  their 
kino^.     Under  Rehoboam,  who  went  there  to  be 
crowned,  the  national  assembly  was  held  there, 
and  that  assembly  resulted  in  the  separation  of 
the  northern  tribes  from  the  southern.     Shechem 
became  the  first  capital  of  the  northern  kingdom 
under  Jeroboam  ;  but  the  seat  of  government  was 
soon  transferred  to  Tirzah.     During  the  Chris- 
tian period  Neapolis  becaine  the  seat  of  a  bishop- 
ric.    It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  Christian 
philosopher  and  martyr,  Justin,  a  heathen   by 
birth,   was  born  at   Neapolis  about   A.   d.    100. 
Pastors  of  Neapolis  are  mentioned  as  attending 
church  councils  until  A.  d.  536.     In  the  seventh 
century  the  city  was  taken  by  Moslems.    In  about 
1099  the  crusaders  took  the  town,  after  the  tak- 
ing of  Jerusalem  ;  but  the  Moslems  were  again 
masters   in   1242.     The  city  and   neighborhood 
are  noted  for  their  insecurity,  the  people  having 
the  reputation  of  being  turbulent  and  quorrel- 
some.     Nablus  is  a  perfect  watershed,  the  v  aters 


1  Gen.  2^  :  18-20. 


i88 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


;A'',  h 


flowing  off  in  all  directions.  Some  streams  run 
east  into  the  Jordan,  and  others  northwest  into 
the  Mediterranean.  The  city  is  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  seventy  feet  above  the  sea 
level  and  has,  perhaps,  twenty  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, of  whom  seven  to  eight  hundred  are  Chris- 
tians, mostly  of  the  Greek  Church,  about  two 
hundred  Samaritans,  and  a  few  Jews,  a  few 
Romanists,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  priests. 
The  Romanists  have  a  monastery  and  school  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  town.  There  are  twenty- 
six  manufacturers  of  soap,  which  is  made  from 


There  is  also  a  considerable  trade  m 
cotton  with  the  countries  east  of  the 


olive  oil. 
wool  and 
Jordan. 

The  streets  are  narrow,  crooked,  and  dirty. 
The  houses  are  packed  close  together  as  in  Jeru- 
salem. The  bazaars  are  extensive,  and  the  streets 
are  so  crowded  as  to  make  one's  progress  slow 
and  difficult.  Traveling  merchants  are  here 
from  many  parts  of  the  world,  and  there  is  the 
usual  chaffering  in  buying  and  selling.  Time  is 
of  little  value  in  the  Orient,  and  the  sale  of  an 
article  worth  only  a  few  cents  may  take  half  the 
morning  and  also  volumes  of  loud  and  mean- 
ingless talk.  Instead  of  counting  their  money, 
they  weigh  it ;  this  is  true  not  only  of  bullion, 
but  also  of  coin,  lest  a  depreciated  kind  might 
be  offered.  As  in  the  days  of  the  patriarchs, 
stones  are  used  for  weights  in  buying  and  sell- 
ing. In  Lev.  19  :  36,  we  have  in  our  translation 
"just  balances";  the  literal  translation  is  "just 
stones  "  ;  and  the  word  shekel,  conies  from  shakel, 


NABLUS   AND   THE   SAMARITANS 


189 


to  weigli,  indicating  the  original  mode  of  reck- 
oning money. 

Here  is  tlie  spot  where  it  is  supposed  the 
tribes  came  to  renew  tlieir  loyalty  to  the  law. 
Yonder  high  point  is  still  called  Joshua's  pulpit. 
Some  critics  have  been  disposed  to  deny  that 
the  voices  could  be  heard  from  one  mount  to  the 
other;  but  there  is  no  ground  whatever  for  this 
denial.  ^lany  actual  tests  have  proved  how 
very  easily  the  voices  could  be  heard.  It  was 
not  on  the  tops,  but  on  the  sides,  of  these  moun- 
tains that  the  representatives  of  the  tribes  stood 
on  Gerizim  to  bless  and  on  Kbal  to  curse,  while 
the  thousands  of  Israel  stood  in  the  valley  be- 
tween to  utter  their  long  and  loud  "Amen."  It 
was  an  occasion  of  wonderful  solemnity.  The 
valley  at  this  point  is  not  more  than  six  hun- 
dred feet  across,  while  where  the  town  stands  it 
is  from  one  thousand  five  hundred  to  two  thou- 
sand feet.  At  the  point  where  the  tribes  met 
the  valley  is  a  sort  of  natural  amphitheatre,  there 
being  a  recess  in  Ebal  exactly  corresponding  to  a 
recess  in  Gerizim.  Captains  Wilson  and  Ander- 
son, of  the  Palestine  Exploration  Fund,  proved 
by  actual  measurements  and  experiments,  that 
this  place  is  admirably  adapted  in  size  and  in 
acoustic  properties  for  great  assemblies.  There 
is  still  a  spot  where  there  is  shown  the  Pillar 
El-Ahmud,  which  is  supposed  to  be  the  tradi- 
tional stones  set  up  by  Joshua.  There  is  no 
ground  whatever  for  the  opinion  which  I  used  to 
liear  often  expressed  that  Ebal  was  peculiarly 
barren  while  Gerizim  was  green    and    fruitful. 


'^  tJ 

(*((,;: 


1 

I 


t 


i  ",» 


I* 


pi 

If*  ? 


!'1 


)  r?  i 


190 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    LECTURES 


There  is  some  vegetable  growth  on  both,  but 
until  the  base  is  reached,  both  are  for  the  most 
part  barren. 

In  the  midst  of  much  that  is  very  beautiful  in 
Nablus  is  the  sorrow  which  one  experiences  in 
seeing  the  miseries  and  hearing  the  plaintive 
cries  of  the  lepers  in  this  city.  They  constantly 
intrude  their  misfortunes  before  the  notice  of 
the  visitor.  Their  distorted  faces  and  wasting 
limbs  are  a  sad  sight,  and  their  husky  wail  is 
one  of  the  saddest  sounds  one  ever  hear;?.  Tliey 
dwell  apart  and  marry  only  among  themselves. 
Their  children  are  as  pleasing  in  appearance  as 
other  children  until  they  reach  the  age  of  ten  to 
twelve  years;  then  the  deadly  taint  exhibits 
itself,  and  soon  they  also  must  take  their  place 
with  others  like  them  in  the  leper  community. 

The  Samaritan  People. — Their  quarter  is 
in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  town.  There 
these  strange  people  have  lived,  separate  from  all 
other  peoples  of  the  earth,  for  nearly  three  thou- 
sand years.  They  have  their  own  Bible,  the 
five  books  of  iMoses,  and  they  continue  their  own 
forms  of  service,  sacrifice,  and  worship.  Think 
of  the  great  changes  which  have  taken  place  in 
the  world  during  the  time  that  these  people 
liave  existed  as  a  distinct  religious  body!  Em- 
pires have  risen  and  fallen,  dynasties  have 
sprung  up  and  held  sway  a.id  have  passed  into 
oblivion;  republics  have  "danced  into  light,  and 
have  died  into  the  shade,"  bui  these  strange 
people  have  held  together  and  have  maintained 


[j 


1  i  '1 


NABLUS   AND   THE    SAMARITANS 


191 


I 


their  racial  distinclions  and  their  religious  pe- 
culiarities unchau*4^cd  amid  the  thousands  of 
changes  in  thousands  of  nations.  Their  syna- 
gogue is  a  small  whitewashed  chamber,  which 
we  reached  by  passing  through  very  narrow  and 
obscure  streets.  The  Mohammedans  constantly 
oppress  this  feeljle  remnant  of  a  very  ancient 
and  remarkable  people.  The  pavement  of  the 
little  synagogue  is  covered  with  matting;  the 
rule  being  that  it  must  not  be  trodden  on 
with  shoes.  Arabic  is  now  the  language  of  the 
Samaritans  in  ordinary  matters,  but  the  prayers 
are  repeated  in  the  Samaritan  tongue.  The  men 
wear  white  surplices  and  red  turbans ;  they  can, 
therefore,  be  readily  distinguished  when  met  on 
the  streets.  They  are  very  cleanly.  By  the 
payment  of  a  small  sum  of  money  I  had  the  op- 
portunity of  seeing  the  Samaritan  Codex,  or  copy 
of  the  Pentateuch.  It  is  kept  in  a  vault  and  it 
was  brought  out  carefully  wrapped  in  a  crimson 
satin  scarf,  which  was  embroidered  with  letters 
of  gold.  The  parchment  is  yellow  with  age  and 
is  much  worn  by  frequent  handling.  The  Sa- 
maritans claim  that  it  was  written  by  Abishua, 
the  son  of  Phinehas,  a  son  or  grandson  of  Aaron, 
and  that  it  is  three  thousand  five  hundred  years 
old.  But  this  claim  is  doubtless  a  myth,  and 
an  inferior  codex  is  generally  palmed  off  on 
gullible  travelers.  By  paying  an  extra  fee  I 
saw  both  the  old  and  the  older  one. 

Yakub  is  the  present  high  priest.  He  claims 
to  be  a  descendant  of  the  tribe  of  Levi.  His 
office  is  hereditary,  and  the  holder  of  it  is  sup- 


w 


l:H. 


:'>:^ 


, 


192 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    I.KCTURES 


ported  by  tithes  paid  him  by  his  people,  who  are 
now  a  feeble  folk.  These  descendants  of  the 
ancient  Samaritan  people  are  their  only  repre- 
sentatives now  in  the  world  sufficiently  strong- 
and  numerous  to  maintain  public  worship.  They 
alone,  of  all  peoples,  keep  up  bloody  sacrifices 
according  to  the  old  Jewish  law. 

Sanballat,  the  Persian  satrap,  being  offended 
because  his  son-in-law  was  excluded  from  the 
priest's  office  and  expelled  from  Jerusalem,  allied 
himself  with  Tobiah  the  Annnonite,  Geshem  the 
Arabian,  and  built  a  temple  on  Gerizim.  In  A.  d. 
487  the  Samaritans  were  driven  away,  and  a 
Christian  church  built  on  the  site  of  this  ancient 
temple.  After  the  Mohammedan  conquest  it  fell 
into  ruins  and  the  Samaritans  were  permitted  to 
return  to  their  venerated  place,  but  they  built 
neither  altar  nor  temple.  Alount  Gerizim  was 
chosen,  as  we  have  seen,  by  the  Samaritans  as 
the  place  of  a  sanctuary  of  their  own.  Shechem 
at  its  base  thus  rose  in  importance,  and  Samaria 
correspondingly  declined.  Conflicts  constantly 
took  place  between  the  Jews  and  the  Samaritans. 
The  temple  on  IVIount  Gerizim,  which  had  stood 
for  two  hundred  years,  was  destroyed  by  John 
Hyrcanus,  about  129  b.  c.  Vespasian  slew  eleven 
thousand  six  hundred  Samaritan  rebels  on  Mount 
Gerizim  who  resisted  him  in  his  subjugation  of 
Palestine.  In  the  sixth  century  A.  D.  the  Samar- 
itans martyred  many  Christians.  About  the 
year  1000  there  were  about  one  thousand  Sa- 
maritans at  Nablus.  Formerly  they  had  small 
communities  in  Cairo  and  Damascus,  but  now 


B 

'J 

i^'ii' 

r' 

'■^\k 

ii 

ftr 

'M 

:  f 

i\ 

if 


NABr.US   AND   TIIK   SAMARITANS  1 93 

tlieir  only  synagogue  is  the  one  at  Nahhis. 
llicir  numbers  are  steadily  decreasing,  there 
being  now  only  about  fifty  families.  They  have 
preserved  a  very  venerable  type  of  Jewish  face 
ana  manners. 

nuJT^  ?f^^V7^^^y  believe  in   one   God, 

and  they  a^)hor  all  forms  of  idolatry  and  image 

worship.     They  believe  in  good  and  evil  spirits  ; 

they  also  bdieve  in  the  resurrection  and    the 

judgment.     They  expect  the  Messiah  in  six  thou- 

sand  years  after  creation,  but  they  do  not  expect 

nm  to  be  more  nor  greater  than  Moses.     They 

hold  only  the  Pentateuch,  or  the  five  books  of 

Moses,  written  in  the  old  Hebrew  or  the  Saiiiar. 

itan  writing.      Bigamy  is  permitted  under  cer, 

ain  conditions,  and  when  a  married  man  dies 

lis  nearest  male  relative,  outside  the  circle  of 

his  brothers,  must  marry  his  widow 

On  the  occasion  of  four  of  their  festivals,  that 
of  unleavened  bread,  that  of  weeks,  the  feast  of 
Tabernac  es,  and  the  Passover,  they  make  a  pil, 
grimage  to  the  sacred  Mount  Gerizim.  They 
observe  all  the  Mosaic  festivals ;  but  only  at  the 
Passover  do  they  offer  sacrifices.  Qu  the  top  c^ 
the  "holy  mountain"  there  are  extensive  ruins 
ot  a  great  temple  built  about  five  centuries  b  c 

LIT'  '"  1  ^'r'}""'  P^^'  ^^""  ^^^t  ^'^^^e  ^^^^  nine 
deep,  in  which  the  sacrificial  lambs  are  roasted 
accordino-  to  Fvod    to  •  rr.     ^i,     1      i  '^•-"-'^ii 

If-   «iM..f         Z-^^:      •    ^"e  iambs  are  slain 

Prnv;rf  '  """^  ■'\'^'''  P^'  '^'^y  ^'^  coasted. 
Prayers   are    recited,   and    then    the    people    sit 

down  and  eat.     The  remnants  are  placed  over 

N 


'K 


iHl^;: 


194 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURKS 


the  fire  and  consumed,  according  to  the  com- 
mand in  Exod.  12  :  10.  Candles  are  lighted  and 
the  ground  is  searched  in  every  direction  so  that 
no  fragment  may  remain  unburned.  They  rig- 
idly observe  the  Sabbath  from  Friday  evening 
to  Saturday  evening,  meeting  three  times  in 
their  synagogues  and  worshiping  toward  Geri- 
zim. 

I  soon  rode  away  over  a  shoulder  of  Ebal  and 
took  my  last  look  at  these  two  mountains,  made 
immortal  as  the  place  of  the  blessing  and  the 
cursing.  I  could  again  people  the  valley,  again 
hear  and  see  the  six  tribes  on  Gerizim  uttering 
blessings,  and  hear  and  see  the  six  tribes  on 
Ebal  uttering  curses,  while  the  thousands  on  thou- 
sands stood  in  the  valley  between  responding 
with  their  long  and  loud  Amen  !  It  was  a  won- 
derful scene.  The  sun  scorches  us  as  we  ride 
over  the  hills  on  our  way  to  Samaria,  and  we 
think  of  our  Lord  who  showed  his  largeness  of 
heart  by  honoring  the  name  Samaritan  in  his 
parable,  and  by  revealing  himself  to  the  Samari- 
tan woman  at  Jacob's  Well,  telling  her  more 
fully  than  up  to  that  time  he  had  any  other  that 
he  was  the  Messiah.  We  need  again  his  rebuke 
of  the  tendency  to  worship  God  on  this  moun- 
tain or  that,  and  to  remember  his  great  saying  : 
"God  is  a  spirit,  and  they  that  worship  him 
must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 


XVIII 

FROM   NABLUS  TO  SAMARIA 

A  FTER  "doinK"  Nablus   we   mounted   our 
/-X     horses  a  httlc  before  noou  aud  started  for 
Jcuin,   taking   m   Samaria   on   onr   way      Tlie 
sun  was  hot,  aud  the  roads  were  dry  and  glariuL' 
under  the  seorehiug  heat.     liut  w^  pressed  ou 
oyer  the  nils  and  through  the  deep  valleys      h 
these  r.cli  valleys,  at  the  proper  season  of  the 
year  every  variety  of  vegetation  is  seen.     Many 
biooks  and   streams  flow  down   the   mountain 
sides  and  eolleet  in  the  vales  below.     As  befo  e 
remarked,  those  on  the  east  flow  to  the  Jordan 
and  those  on  the  west  to  the  Mediterraiiean-!^ 

this^egJon'       """^'"^   ^"'"^  "'^  "^'-^'-''  of 
We  slowly  Ciimbed  over  a  part  of  Ebal  •  on 
neiglibonng  hills  pleasant-looking  villages  ^ere 
seen.     Two  miles  northeast  of  Ebal  is  Talluzah 
the  aneient  Tirzah,  "delight."    It  is  truly  beam  I 

"I  or  situation.  Onee  it  shared  with  Shechem 
the  honors  of  being  the  eapital  eity  of  the  nort 
ern  kingdom.  I„  Solomon's  Song  6  •  4  ve 
have  the  words:  "Thou  art  beautiful  as  Tirza" 
-words  that  are  applied  to  the  spou.se  who  as 
«  generally  supposed,  represents  the  ehureh 
Having  used  that  te.xt  in  a  sermon,  I  was  more 

'95 


I>.t,.^ 


i. 


^,\ 


196 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    UIXTURKS 


than  fj^lad  to  localize  my  thotij^^lit  and  to  em- 
phasize my  appreciation  of  the  beanty  and  aj)- 
propriateness  of  this  Scriptnre  reference.  Tirzah 
was  originally  a  city  of  the  Canaanites,  and  later 
became  the  royal  seat  of  the  kings  of  Israel 
from  Jeroboam  to  Omri,  who  finally  bnilt  the 
city  of  Samaria,  which  snpplanted  it  as  the  cap- 
ital of  the  kingdom. 

Three  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Shechem  is  a 
village  which  Robinson  identifies  with  that  of 
Salim  where  John  the  Baptist  was  baptizing, 
"becanse  there  was  mnch  water  there."  Some, 
however,  place  it  near  the  Jordan,  eight  miles 
south  of  Beth-slian.  The  English  Palestinian 
Expedition  identifies  it  with  Zarthan,  or  Tell  Sa- 
rem.  There  is  a  large  number  of  springs  there, 
and  it  is  therefore  a  place  "where  there  is  much 
water." 


.); 


>!■■! 


Samaria. — Off  in  the  distance,  standing  alone, 
is  the  hill  of  Scbastiyeh,  or  Samaria.  Under 
the  glare  of  the  noonday  sun  we  ride  up  the  hill 
and  soon  reach  the  town.  Wonderful  memories 
crowd  the  mind  as  we  approach  this  small,  dirty 
village,  surrounded  by  hedges  of  cactus  and  by 
historic  ruins.  These  ruins  suggest  striking 
contrasts  between  the  former  grandeur  and  glory 
of  the  place  and  its  present  decay  and  desola- 
tion. We  put  our  horses  in  the  charge  of  one  of 
the  idle  boys  waiting  for  the  guileless  tourists, 
and  before  we  look  at  the  town  as  it  appears  to- 
day, refresli  our  minds  with  some  facts  of  his- 
tory. 


' '  M 


n^ 


FROM    NABLUS   TO   SAMARIA 


197 

Samaria  is  between  six  and  seven  miles  nortli- 
vvest  of  Sheclieni.  It  is  bnilt  on  an  ohlonir  liill 
rising  one  tlionsand  five  hnndred  and  forty-two 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  rises  near  thr 
center  of  a  broad  and  deep  valley  encircled  by 
nils  and  its  lofty  sitnation  enables  one  to  see 
tlie  Mediterranean  in  the  distance.  Abont  020 
n.c  Samaria  was  bnilt  by  Omri,  kin-  of  Israel 

he  lull  '     Tir.ali  and  Sheehein  had  been  capi- 
ta  s  of  Israel,  but  now  Samaria  became  the  capi- 
tal  and  continned  snch  for  two  hundred   years 
unti     the  captivity  of  the  ten   tribes.     Sheiiier' 
or  Shomer,  was  the  first  owner,  hence  the  name 
bamaria,  as  we  have   seen.     Soon    the    city  be- 
came a  seat  of  idolatry,  and  the  prophets  Isaiah, 
Jcrciniah,  Amos,  and   Micah  prophesied  very  se- 
verely against  it.     In  time  Ahab  built  here  a 
vast  temple  for  P>aal,  as  we  learn  from  i  Kinrrs 
i^  '  32,  33,  and  idolatrous  worship  ^vas  formally 
recognized  by  king  and  court.     Indeed,  a  part  of 

Ba'ap!  ^'tk    r"'f'  "the   city  of  the   house   of 
i^aal.       This  temple  was  destroyed  by  Jehu 

bamaria  was  a  place  of  great  strength.  Twice 
fhlf  ^'^'}'^f}y  tlie  Syrians  and  rescued  from 
tliem  The  later  siege  was  marked  by  a  terri- 
ble famine,  and  a  remarkable  deliverance  was 
foretold  by  Elisha.  The  king  of  Assyria  hi 
sieged  the  place  for  three  years,';nd  Sargon  took 
t  722  B.  c  ,-  and  the  people  were  carried  as  cap- 
tives   to  Assyria.     Cuthite   colonists    partly  re- 


'1  Kings  16  .-23.  24.  ^2  Kings  ,7  ..5.  6;  ,8  :  9,  ,< 


1 


198 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    LKCTl'RES 


'  I 


Stored  the  city.  Alexander  the  (ireat  took  the 
city  ;^;^^  n.  c.  He  colonized  it  with  Syro-Mace- 
donians.  John  Hyrcainis  captnred  it  129  n.  C. 
In  time  Ponipey  restored  the  Samaritans  who 
had  been  supplanted  by  Jews  and  Syro-Mace- 
donians. 

Augustus  gave  the  city  to  Herod  the  Cireat, 
who  chose  it  as  his  capital,  adorned  it  with 
splendid  palaces  and  a  magnificent  colonnade, 
which  extended  all  around  the  hill.  In  honor 
of  Augustus  he  named  it  Sebastc,  which  is  the 
(ireek  equivalent  of  Augusta;  the  name  which 
the  Arabs  now  give  it,  "Sebastiyeh,"  is  just  their 
form  of  thc(ircek  word  Scbaste.  Herod  brought 
six  thousand  colonists,  who  were  chiefly  veter- 
ans; he  also  surrounded  it  with  a  strong  wall 
and  built  a  grand  temple  which  he  dedicated  to 
Augustus.  So  perfect  were  the  fortifications 
that  the  city  was  thought  to  be  impregnable; 
and  this  fact  gives  peculiar  point  to  the  proph- 
ecy of  Amos  when  he  said  (6:1):  "Woe  to  them 
that  .  .  .  trust  in  the  mountains  of  Samaria." 
Fragments  of  statues  of  the  gods  of  the  Greeks 
and  Romans,  among  them  a  stone  image  of 
Jupiter,  have  been  recently  found,  these  gods 
having  taken  the  place  of  Baal  of  the  Phoeni- 
cians. 

Two  incidents  of  the  siege  of  Samaria  will  be 
remembered  :  The  compact  between  the  starving 
women,  expressed  in  these  words,  "Give  thy  son 
that  we  may  eat  him  to-day,  and  we  will  eat  my 
son  to-morrow";  and  the  incident  of  the  "four 
leprous  men  who  sat  at  the  entering  of  the  gate, 


i1 


FROM    NABI.rS   TO   SAMARIA 


199 


and  said  one  to  tlie  other,  Why  sit  we  here  nntil 
we  die?"  and  then  actinjr  on  the  sn^jrcstion  and 
enterinjr  into  the  camp  they  fonnd  "there  was  no 
man  there,  neither  voice  of  man,"  for  the  Syri- 
ans had  all  fled  in  the  ntniost  terror. 

It  will  he  remembered  that  the  brave  and  no- 
ble prophet  Elijah  came  to  this  citv  from  the 
monntains  of  (iilead  to  rebnke  the  wicked  Kinjr 
Ahab  and  foretell  the  lonjr  dron^Hu  that  was  to 
come  upon  the  land.     Yonder  in  the  valley  lay 
the  R:reat  Syrian  army  of  lien-hadad,  the  army 
so  terribly  defeated   by  the   Israelites.     To  Sa- 
maria   from    Ramoth-Oilead    came    the   blood- 
stanied  chariot  of  Ahab,  who  was  pierced  with 
an  arrow  from  a  bow  drawn  at  a  ventnre ;  the 
chariot  was  bronj^ht  to  be  "washed  in  the 'pool 
of  Samaria,"  and  the  dogs  licked  np  the  kind's 
blood,  and  the  prophetic  word  was  fearfnlly  ful- 
filled.    In  Samaria,  either  the  city  or  district,  or 
both,  the  gospel   was  successfully  preached  by 
Philip  and  others,  as  we  see  by  Acts  8  :  5-25. 
Here  the  sorcerer  Simon  had  long  practised  his 
impostures,  and   he   desired   to  buy  the   gift  of 
working  miracles.     It  was  from  this  city,  or  re- 
gion, that  Philip  was  summoned  to  go  south  to 
baptize  the   Ethiopian  treasurer.     The   church 
formed  in  Samaria  was  represented  in  the  Coun- 
cil of  Nicea.  A.  D.  325;  but  in  614  the  city  fell 
under  the  power  of  the  Moslems.     A  bishopric 
was  established  here  by  the  crusaders,  and  many 
travelers  mention   the  place  in  the  succeeding 
centuries.     Rut  as  Nablus  grew  in  importance^ 
Samaria   declined,  until    now  it   is   virtually  a 


I 


200 


SUNDAY    NIGHT   LKCTURES 


t 


y«'.' 


« 


heap  of  ruins.  Wonderful  is  the  interest  which 
attaches  to  places  when  we  see  them  with  all 
their  remarkable  historical  associations  fresh  in 
mind. 

The  first  thinji^  we  did  was  to  visit  a  Moham- 
medan school.  The  children  were  all  studying 
aloud.  It  was  a  noisy  school,  I  assure  you. 
Our  presence  seriously  interrupted  their  studies. 
Then  the  h.cad-master  brought  up  some  of  his 
best  scholars  to  give  us  an  exhibition  cf  their 
great  attainments ;  and  through  the  interpreter, 
I  of  course  expressed  great  admiration  for  their 
attainments  and  appreciation  of  his  considera- 
tion for  our  pleasure,  for  it  must  be  assumed 
that  there  was  nothing  which  I  so  much  desired 
as  to  hear  a  recitation  in  Arabic.  As  we  looked 
about  we  were  again  impressed  with  the  exceed- 
ing beauty  of  the  situation ;  the  valley  below, 
the  terraced  hill,  and  the  Mediterranean  twenty 
miles  away,  but  clearly  visible.  We  visited  the 
ruined  church  of  John  the  Baptist,  built  by  the 
crusaders  of  the  twelfth  century,  on  the  sup- 
posed, but  very  improl)able,  site  of  his  grave. 
Jerome  is  the  first  who  mentions  the  tradition 
that  John  the  Baptist  is  buried  here.  Later 
came  the  tradition  that  he  was  beheaded  here. 
This  church  is  now  used  as  a  mosque,  and  it  is 
a  very  picturesque  ruin.  On  the  walls  are  still 
crosses  of  the  Knights  of  St.  John,  although  an 
attempt  has  been  made  to  obliterate  them.  In 
the  court  there  is  a  dome  over  the  traditional 
sepulchre  of  John  the  Baptist.  Descending  a 
number  of  steps,  lighted  by  a  torch,  we  reached 


FROM   NABLUS  TO  SAMARIA 


'a 


^  201 

liis  tomb  together  witli  that"  of  Olxulial,  and 
several  others.  A  massive  stone  <loor  four  feet 
hiSh,  IS  shown  said  to  be  the  actual  door  of 
John  s  prison  ;  but  as  Josephus  states  that  lol.n 
was  bd,eaded  „•.  the  eastle  of  Macluerns,  c„  1 1" 
ead  Sea,  .t  >s  diffieult  to  see  how  his  ion.b  is 
■ere  Jerome,  as  already  indicate<l,  was  the  first 
to  refer  to  the  tradition  that  John  the  Uapt  s 
was  buried  here.  "upuifti 

No  one  can  visit  Samaria  without  bein<.  struck 
by  Its  splendid  nun.s.     The   Colonnade,  or  stec^ 
o     colonnades,    many    of    the    colninns    bcin, 
monoliths,  runs  around  the  hiilside.     These  co^ 
onnades  certainly  date  back  to  the  time  of  the 
Herods;  and  many  of  them  may  be  much  older 
I'eriapsthe  iinmbcr  of  these  eolunms,  whole  o; 
broken,  is  quite  a  hundred.     Some  are  slandh," 
onie  have    alien.     Main-  lie  .scaltere.l  on    o?; 
erraces.     They  are  of  all  .sizes  and   now  n,i He 
■rresularly  arranged,  but  when  perfect  in  tl  el  i- 
selves  and   regularly  ananged    they  must      Vvo 
been  superb.     The  rubbish  on  the  1    Idea'  y 
shows  that  once  it  was  the  place  of  grea    p    . 
aces,    temples,   theatres,  and    other   public   ai  I 
si^lendid  stnictures.     On  one  terrace  it  il  w"  I 
I'.S  1  certain   that  once  a  temple  or  theatre  of 
vast  proportioirs  and  of  great  biauty  stood.     Co 
•ng  through  the  village  one  sees  in  dirtv  hoveK 
slender    shafts    and    eolnnms    with    cuii'mslv 

.reck  and   Roman  art,  and   intended    to   piea.se 
Jueenr         ""'"'  """  ™'"P"'°"-^   kings'^  and 


202 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


I 


My  drajjoman  took  great  pains  to  point  out 
the  traditional  sites,  such  as  the  gate  where  the 
lepers  sat,  the  palace  of  Ahab,  the  temple  of 
Herod,  and  the  old  market.  But  nothing  was 
of  so  much  interest  as  the  columns  and  colon- 
nades of  which  I  have  spoken;  and  of  these 
none  were  of  so  much  interest  as  those  which 
have  been  rolled  down  the  hill  a  distance  of  at 
least  four  hundred  feet.  Think  of  this  fact  as  a 
literal  fulfillment  of  Scripture!  Listen  to  the 
words  of  God  through  the  prophet  MicrJi  (i  :  i6) : 
"I  will  make  Samaria  as  a  heap  of  the  field, 
and  as  plantings  of  a  vineyard,  and  I  will  pour 
down  the  stones  thereof  into  the  valley.'  There 
they  are  to-day,  poured  down  in  the  valley.  All 
this  desolation  is  on  the  spot  where  once  stood 
the  splendid  city  of  Samaria.  What  memories 
of  Ahab,  of  Jezebel,  of  Elijah,  and  of  Herod, 
rushed  upon  me!  The  literal  fulfillment  of  the 
prophecies  of  Scripture  cannot  but  impress  the 
tourist  who  visits  Samaria.  He  must  be  an 
irrelevant  thinker  who  does  not  see  the  close  re- 
lation between  the  prophecy  and  the  condition 
of  things  there.  One  might  prophesy  regarding 
certain  general  results  among  nations,  if  he  v,  ere 
entirely  familiar  with  the  trend  of  their  tlK>v;L;ht 
and  action;  but  this  prophecy  comes  down  o 
details  which  are  most  minute.  God  was  lo 
pour  the  stones  down  into  the  valley ;  there  the 
stones  are  lying  to-day.  God  further  declared 
that  he  would  make  Samaria  "as  plantings  of  a 
vineyard."  This  prophecy  implies  that  portions 
of  the  ancient  site  should  be  used  for  various  farm 


•U      ^ 


U    .  W 


FROM    NABLUS   TO   SAMARIA 


203 

purposes.     Ut  the  tourist  look  aroundliim^and 

Th^re  t".   '^''  '"^^""^"^^  "^  ''''''  predictio'^ 
1  here  to-day  are  seen  traces  of  vine-terraces  all 
about  this  historic  hill.     Here  also  are  patches 
of  some  kind  of  grain;  here  also  is  the  thresh! 
nig  floor;  and  here  are  evidences  that  the  Arabs 
have    recently  been    threshing   and   vvinnowin' 
their  grain.     Can  it  be  possible  that  once  there 
stood  on  this  hill  and  its  sloping  sides  a  g  elt 
and   splendid    city?     How   xv^nderfnl   are^  the 
literal  fulfillments  of  ancient  prophecies  regard! 
lug  Samaria  and   Palestine  as  a  whole'     This 
laud  IS  a  witness  to  the  truth  of  Cxod's  word;  its 
barren   hills  and   desolate  plains  testify  to  the 
reality  of   God's   threatenin^s   and    the' sins  ^ 
Gods    people.      From    barren    hillsides,    rifled 
tombs  ancient  parchments,  and  works  of  art  of 
inaiiy  kinds,  proofs  are  multiplying  regardino- 
the  mith  of  prophecy  and  the  uncha'^ngeSss 


>,;.. 


XIX 


I 


i 


FROM    SAMARIA    TO   DOTHAN    AND   JENIN 


.V" 


;»!;' 


t 


I"     iV 


w 


ITH  many  memories  of  the  splendor  of 
Samaria  in  its  palmy  days  and  of  the 
horrors  of  the  time  of  which  it  could  be  said, 
"  Lo,  we  boiled  my  son,  and  did  eat  him,"  and 
with  an  overwhelming  conviction,  as  we  looked 
on  the  stones  thrown  down  into  the  valley,  of 
the  literal  fulfillment  of  prophecy,  we  press  on 
our  way  northward.  Places  of  historic  interest 
are  about  us.  The  Bible  is  becoming  more  and 
more  a  new  book  as  it  is  illustrated  by  the  sight 
of  the  places  described.  It  is  true  that  doubts 
regarding  the  genuineness  of  the  sites  rob  the 
places  pointed  cut  of  much  of  their  power  over 
the  imagination ;  still,  even  the  traditional  sites 
are  not  without  power  to  kindle  the  mind,  to 
gratify  the  curiosity,  and  to  vivify  the  historical 
narrative. 

With  thoughts  like  these  in  mind  we  de- 
scended the  hill  where  are  the  columns,  entered 
the  valley  of  Barley,  and  soon  reached  the  village 
of  Burka,  under  whose  fine  old  olive  trees  trav- 
elers often  camp.  From  the  top  of  the  hill  near 
a  glorious  view  bursts  on  the  sight, — a  great  plain 
and  its  villages, — the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  full  of 
places  of  intciest,  and  yonder  in  the  distance  is 
204 


^^^^  SAMARIA  TO  DOTHAN  AND  JKNIx\    205 

white-robed   Herinoii.     Looking^off^oTiT^ht 
IS  Abel-Meliolali.     The   mere   mention   of   this 
name  calls  up  a  long  train  of  historic  associa- 
tion.     Abel-xMeholah !  let  us  think  of  the  name 
a  little,  as  our  horses   slowly  pick    their   steps 
over  the  often  rough  path  along  which  we  are 
journeying.     Near    this    place   Gideon   defeated 
the  Midianites,  as  we  see  in  Judg.  7-22      This 
was  the  time  when  Gideon's  brave  three  liundrcd 
blew  their  trumpets,  broke  their  pitchers,  held 
heir    lamps   in   their   left   hands,  and  shouted: 
rhe  sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon."     The 
effect  of  these  crashing  sounds  and  reverberatinjr 
shouts  was  tremendous.     The  noise  of  so  many 
trumpets  the  flashing  of  so  many  lights,  and  the 
crash  of  the  broken  pitchers,  gave  the  Midianites 
an  exaggerated   idea  of  the  numbers  by  whom 
they  were  beset.     They  supposed  that  the  num- 
ber  of  Gideon's  fighting  men  was  in  proportion 
to   that   of   the   trumpeters.     Terrible  was   the 
slaughter  on  the  one  side  and  glorious  the  vie- 
tory  on  the  other.     This   place  was  t.he  birth- 
p  ace  of  Ehsha,  and  here  he  was  found  at  the 
plow  by  Elijah  when    returning  up  the  valley 
from  Horeb.'     The  word  means  "the  meadow  of 
the  dance."     To   the   borders  of  Abel-Meholah 
the  routed,  panic-stricken   Midianites  fled,  utter- 
ing  the  wild  cries  peculiar  to  their  race.     Nearer 
the   usual    route  of  travelers  is  Ophrali.     This 
town   was    in    the    tribe   of    Manasseh.      Here 
Gideon  continued  to  reside  after  he  had  deliv- 


*  I  Kings  19  :  16. 


\',ii 


tt* 


k 


i 


m 


•   ■',' 

■1     i 

1 

1    ■  r 

1 
1 

i    > 

I  i 

il     > 


2o6 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


ered  Israel  from  the  Midianites.  Here  too,  his 
ephod  was  established  and  became  a  snare  to 
Israel.  This  ephod  was  adorned  with  the  spoils 
of  Zebah  and  Zalmunna,  and  became  an  object 
of  superstitious  worship.  There  is,  however, 
some  difficulty  in  fixing  with  certainty  on  this 
,:ite. 

Doth  AN — "  Two  Wells." — We  have  now 
traveled  about  eight  miles  directly  north  of  the 
city  of  Samaria ;  we  are  also  on  the  border  of 
the  territory  of  that  name,  and  we  arrive  at  the 
ruins  of  Dothan.  We  are  close  to  the  great 
camel  route  between  Egypt  and  Damascus.  We 
are,  also,  as  Doctor  Fish  reminds  us,  "  at  the 
gateway  of  the  Carmel  range  of  mountains  in 
the  plain  of  Esdraelon."  Dothan,  or  Dothaim, 
is  a  place  of  great  interest.  It  is  on  the  caravan 
route  from  Syria  to  Egypt,  fifteen  miles  north  of 
Shechem  and  four  to  five  miles  southwest  of 
En-gannim,  now  Jenin.  It  is  now  iminhabited ; 
'/Ut  its  ruins  on  a  hill  on  the  south  edge  of  a 
fertile  plain  still  bear  the  name  Dothan.  The 
word  means  "the  two  wells";  and  two  copious 
wells  or  fountains  are  found  to  this  day  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill.  One  of  them  at  least  is  very 
old,  and  was  probably  there  in  the  time  of  Jo- 
seph. To  Dothan  Joseph  came  seeking  his 
brethren  who  had  wandered  thither  with  their 
flocks  from  Shechem.^  When  his  brethren  saw 
him  afar  off  they  conspired  against  him,  saying: 

*  Gen.  37  :  17. 


^_^OM  &iMARIA  TO  DOTHAN  AND  JENIN   207 

"Behold  this  dreamer  coinetli."    Tliesc  brothers 
were  of  the  spirit  of  Cai„,  who  slew  his  brother 

ot  11  ai.kiiid.     Nine  men  here  conspire  to  kill  a 
broher  of  the  most  amiable  qualities  who  tin 
derly  loved  then,,  and  who  was'in  tl  e  ven  aet'of 
showing    „s  love  when  their  anger  bla.ed  ont 

Xd'bloo  !"r'f-     ^"■^<^"  '"^'  "Ot  wiJ?'  them  to 
nto  .  nU  '  '^^  ,'"°Sested  H,at  they  east  Joseph 

wills le'^istilT     The"',  rf"-'  f'^P  P"«  "'  ^'y 
f,,Iv  r    }     >  ■   °'''  *'°''>'  "becomes  wonder- 

'  t'  [n  th^o  ""V-'  '"'  "'^  ground.  We  know 
mud  a  the  bon'"  ","'P'''  V'''"'''  °f'"'  «i'l> 
P  isous  Tbe^^  'f'T  1°"^  ''<--^"  "^^d  =>« 
north  f..,c,f  °^  ■f'"^°'''  "°  doubt,  came 
rave  ed  't,^''""''""  °"  !''^  ^^^^  which  we 
traveled.  They  came  a  long  distance  frotn 
Hebron  in  the  south,  to  find  water  and  ™ss    n 

'e  "^Tr •  f'  f  '^""  '.  P'""^^  °f  excellJJit'pTstnr" 
for  tbei  T  ^fT''"^  'o  Joseph,  in  his  anxiety 
lor  their  good,  "Do  not  thy  brethren  feed  the 

be  ;>"  ^r'""-"  "Go  and  see  whether  t 
Oil  T^  trf  "'1"'  =*:;<!  ^""S  "^  «ord  again  •-' 
t°y  was  f  V'''n?  V    ^'''  distance  for  that  conn- 

n  the  iiekrnrQ  T'"'^'  ""'"'•  '^Vandering 
in  tne  fields  at  Shecbem  a  man  found  Tosenh 
and,  asked   "  What  seekest  thou  ?  "     Jo  eph  toM 

aid  h'^;  "  Tt!  '"'!,  ''™"'^^^-  Tl.e  n  i^  t  ^en 
Uotha  I,  and  on  went  Joseph  in  the  kindness 
of  his  heart  to  show  favo^  to  his  brothers 


»  Gen.  37  :  13. 


'  Gen.  37  :  17. 


2o8 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


1    • 


..i  ' 


i      ) 


Wc  have  already  noticed  the  reception  they 
gave  him.  They  have  now  a  fine  opportnnity, 
as  they  are  so  far  away  from  their  father,  to  get 
rid  of  this  hated  son.  Their  father  showed  an 
unwise  fondness  for  Josepli  in  giving  him  his 
long  white  robe.  That  robe  too,  implying  that 
its  wearer  was  not  to  be  an  ordinary  worker,  had 
something  to  do  with  Joseph's  dreams  of  his 
future  greatness.  Joseph's  "coat  of  many  col- 
ors" was  not  a  coat  of  many  colors.  This  coat 
has  a  powerful  hold  on  the  imagination.  One 
hesitates  to  disturb  this  popular  idea.  We  all 
may  have  thought  that  it  was  a  very  foolish  thing 
in  Jacob  to  dress  up  Josepli  in  this  peacock  style. 
We  have  all  conceived  of  this  coat  as  blending 
various  hues,  such  as  are  seen  in  imperial  robes 
woven  in  Indian  looms.  Dr.  Samuel  Cox  has 
effectively  disposed  of  this  gaudy  coat.  He  has 
shown  that  the  Hebrew  words  simply  mean  "a 
tunic  reaching  to  the  extremities."  It  may  have 
had  a  stripe  of  color  on  the  edge  of  the  skirt  or 
sleeves,  but  nothing  more.  It  was  a  robe  which 
indicated  that  in  the  opinion  of  Jacob  there  was 
to  be  no  hard  work  done  by  Joseph.  This  was 
the  robe  of  the  learned  and  leisure  class.  Joseph 
was  to  live  softly  and  to  be  guarded  against  hard 
work  and  rough  weather.  The  other  brothers 
must  wear  short  garments,  fitted  for  daily  toil; 
but  not  so  in  the  case  of  Joseph.  It  was  this 
fact  which  aroused  the  murderous  jealousy  of 
his  brothers.  In  giving  Joseph  this  long  white 
tunic  Jacob  grievously  erred.  This  robe  also 
may  have  intimated  that  his  father  wished  to 


oil  tlicy 
rtiinity, 
r,  to  get 
wed  ail 
!iim  liis 
ng  that 
cer,  had 
of  his 
iny  coi- 
ns coat 
I.     One 
We  all 
h  thing 
k  style, 
endinof 
1  robes 
ox  has 
rle  has 
ean  "a 
y  have 
kirt  or 
which 
re  was 
lis  was 
Joseph 
it  hard 
others 
y  toil ; 
IS  this 
iisy  of 
white 
s  also 
led  to 


l^M  SAMARIA  TO  DOTHAX  AND  JKNIN    209 


Tl?:^  f"u"  T^'  ^^'^  '^^'''  Of  primogeniture  in 
place  of  Reuben,  who  had  forfeited  them      B 

ruer'^At^R^'!  '''!'''"''  ^^^"  Satam-c' in'it 
Wn    'stnL  r,""'  f"8:^^^^«tion   they  caught 
joscpli    stripped   him  of  his  fine  garment    and 

1     r:t  '"Lvf  T  ^H  '^^^^"'^"^  '^  ^--  ^ 
incre  to  stane.     Just  then  a  company  of  traders 

vitK2'or'"l'  ""'1  "^^^^^  ^--  se^en  coni  ig 

CO mm^^        r?fF       1^'"'  ^"'"  ^^  "^^t  ^  ^i"»il^r 

s.en   with    mules,  asses,  and    camels    laden    on 

heir  way  from    Damascus  to  Kgypt.     A   lievv 

Idea  takes  possession  of  the  brethren  of    osenT 

tl^se':[ima:n''V""^  '''^  ^''  andse^uS'^ 
tliese  Ishmaehtes,  for  twenty  pieces  of  silver  the 

ovemded  fr^'     ^%  '''  '^^  wonderfulT/God 
for  tl  itl         Ti"-   ^^'  '^''  ^^^^  «f  '^-^tions  and  ^ 
tor  the  glory  of  his  own  great  name      Tosenl 

^romUie  prison  to  bf  the  gr^  .^ 

lives^    0,?rn.^!^    "^^'    J°'"P^^    '^''^^    ^^""tless 
ives      Our  mind,  as  we  recalled  these  events 

went    away   to    the    heart-broken    father      ^id 

tender  sympathy  went  out  to  beloved   lisenh 

going  off  in  his  sorrow  as  a  slave    o  pi^    ' 

coTe^mm'^'f  "T  ^^y^'^  throne  anlo'bl 
come  immortal  in  the  world's  history. 

waT^'  AH  v^'f  "'^f''.  }°  "^"o^^  ^^'"^  tlie  traitor 
'^as.     AH  his  best-Ia.d  plans  were  discovered  • 

o  ' 


I   '    .!' 


I    '      ,\ 


i  .  <\ 


2IO 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTUUKS 


he  was  utterly  baffled.  It  was  then  told  him 
that  there  was  no  traitor  in  the  camp,  but  that 
the  prophet  of  God  knew  all  his  movements  and 
gave  information  to  the  king  of  Israel.  Then 
Jien-hadad,  the  Syrian  leader,  determined  to 
seize  Hlisha.  Silently  during  the  night  his 
hosts  went  to  compass  the  city  of  Dothan,  and 
in  the  morning  they  had  so  invested  it  with 
horses  and  chariots  that  the  escape  of  Elisha 
seemed  to  be  impossible.  The  servant  of  Elisha 
was  overwhelmed  with  despair  and  cried  out : 
"Alas,  my  master!  how  shall  we  do?'"  But 
Elisha  calmly  said  to  him  :  *'  Fear  not ;  for  they 
that  be  with  us  are  more  than  they  that  be  with 
them.'"*  He  then  prayed  thus:  "Lord,  I  pray 
thee,  open  his  eyes,  that  he  ma}-  see  "  ;  and  we 
read  that  "  the  Lord  opened  the  eyes  of  the 
young  man ;  and  he  saw :  and,  behold,  the  moun- 
tain was  full  of  horses  and  chariots  of  fire  round 
about  Elisha."  ^  And  this  was  probably  the 
mountain  on  which  we  are  standing.  .\Ve  read 
further  that  the  Syrians  were  smitten  with 
1)lindness  and  were  led  into  Samaria.'*  How 
real  that  old  and  stirring  story  became  as  we 
stood  on  the  spot  made  so  wonderful  by  the 
presence  and  power  of  God  ! 

Jenin,  the  En-gannim  of  Scripture,  is  our 
place  of  rest  for  the  night.  Leaving  Dothan 
we  pass  over  a  slippery  descent  into  the  valley  ; 
then  we  go  through  a  narrow  glen,  once  famous 
as  a  stronghold  of  robbers,  and   soon   the  well 


'  2  Kings  6  :  15. 


*  2  Kings  6  :  16. 

*  2  Kings  6  :  18. 


'  2  Kings  6  :  17. 


■J  -1  *' 


FROM  SAMARIA  TO  DOTHAN  AND  JKXIN    211 


1(1  him 
.It  that 
its  and 
Then 
ncd  to 
ht  his 
m,  and 
it  with 
Elisha 
Elisha 
■d  out : 
'  But 
or  they 
je  with 
I  pray 
md  we 
of  the 
i  moun- 
t  round 
)ly  the 
'e  read 
1  with 
How 
as  Me 
y  the 

lis  our 
>othan 
^alley ; 
[anions 
|e  well 

17- 


watered,  beautifully  situated,  and  prosperous 
town  of  Jeiiin  is  readied.  The  name  Kn-}^annim 
means  ''  Fountain  of  Gardens."  It  was  a  town 
on  the  border  of  Issaehar,  and  was  given  to 
(iershonite  Levites.'  Josephus  speaks  of  the 
town  under  the  name  of  Ginea  and  as  one  of  the 
boundaries  between  Galilee  and  Samaria.  It  is 
a  place  of  {gardens  to-day.  A  lar|;e  fountain, 
whose  waters  form  a  brook,  makes  the  village 
green  and  prosperous.  It  contains  about  three 
thousand  inhabitants,  in  perhaps  three  hundred 
houses.  Olive  trees,  palm  trees,  prickly-pear 
hedges,  and  rich  gar(lcns  characterize  the  place. 
There  is  a  good-sized  mosque,  which  perhaps 
was  once  a  Christian  church.  We  went  into  the 
town  at  a  brisk  trot,  starting  up  the  idlers  about 
the  fine  spring,  rousing  the  dogs,  and  attracting 
the  attention  of  the  people  generally. 

Here  on  the  borders  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon, 
the  battlefield  of  the  nations,  we  were  to  pass 
the  night,  and  the  next  morning  a  long-cherished 
desire — seeing  the  plain  of  Esdraelon — would 
be  gratified. 

Samaria  has  already  suggested  to  us  remark- 
able fulfillments  of  prophecy.  Dothan  gives  us 
a  wonderful  example  of  the  saving  power  of 
God.  Never  was  there  greater  folly  than  that 
of  Joseph's  brethren  in  their  desire  to  gratify 
their  own  wicked  desires  and  to  overthrow  the 
purposes  of  God.  God  made  their  acts  con- 
tribute directly  to  the  accomplishment  of  his 


*  Josh.  19  :  21-29. 


/' 


1   ' 


r 


4 


212 


SUNDAY   Nir.IlT   LKCTURI-S 


plans.  Joscpli  was  to  rule  over  his  brethren  ; 
J(j.sepli  did  rule  over  his  brethren.  He  saw  in 
his  dream  these  brethren  bowinj^  down  before 
him  ;  he  saw  in  his  experience  in  Kj^ypt  these 
brethren  actually  so  bovvinp;.  The  j;rcat  (ireek 
dramatists  have  illustrated  in  strikin<;^  forms  the 
impossibility  on  the  part  of  men  of  thwartinj;' 
the  purpose?  of  God.  This  is  the  philosophy 
and  theology  which  underlie  their  greatest  dra- 
matic tragedies.  It  is  a  truth  everywhere  taught 
in  the  Bible ;  it  is  a  truth  everywhere  taught  in 
human  historv.  God's  hand  is  as  trulv  in  the 
hist<jry  of  to-day  as  it  was  in  the  history  of 
Joscpli.  His  hand  is  behind  the  loom,  guiding 
its  movements  and  directing  the  pattern  in  its 
veb.     With  Lowell  we  can  say 

Behind  the  dim  unknow 
Standeth  God  within  the  shadow, 
Keeping  watch  above  his  own. 

We  must  not  for  a  moment  eliminate  God  from 
uiodern  history.  These  great  truths,  however, 
do  not  relieve  men  from  the  responsibility  of 
their  own  acts.  Divine  sovereignty  is  not  more 
certain  than  is  human  freedom ;  but  God's 
sovereign  purpose  in  no  way  excuses  our  wrong- 
ful acts  or  relieves  us  from  the  duty  of  always 
doing  right. 

Dothan  is  voiceful  also  concerning  the  value 
of  Elisha's  faith  and  the  folly  of  fear  on  the 
part  of  Elisha's  servant.  God  to-day  reveals  his 
secrets  to  his  people.  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is 
with  them  that  fear  him.     W^e  sometimes  think 


FROM  SAMARIA  TO  DOTIIAN  AND  Jl'NlN    213 


rctlin.'ii ; 
2  saw  in 
1  before 
|)t  these 
t  (keek 
)rins  tlie 
waiting'- 
losopliy 
test  dra- 
i  taught 
Luj^lit  in 
:  in  the 
■itory  of 
guidinj^ 
n  in  its 


Dd  from 
Dwever, 
ity  of 
more 
God's 
wrong- 
always 

value 
ion  the 
als  his 
ord  is 
think 


tliat  all  llie  l\)rces  of  the  universe  are  maUrial 
forees.  These  we  see,  hear,  and  feel  ;  hut  the 
mightiest  forces  are  those  that  are  unseen  and 
unlicard.  There  are  moral  forces  s\veei)ing 
through  the  universe;  they  are  silent  as  the 
falling  dew,  but  mighty  as  the  storm.  These 
forces  are  trackless,  but  resistless  as  the  laws  of 
gravitation.  Men  do  not  so  much  need  fuller 
proof  of  the  existence  of  God  and  of  eternal 
things  as  they  need  belter  eyes.  They  do  not 
need  greater  light  so  much  as  they  need  clearer 
vision.  The  light  of  revelation  may  be  brighter 
than  the  sun  at  noonday,  but  men  will  not  see  it 
if  they  persist  in  dwelling  in  the  dark  cellar  of 
spiritual  unbe'ief  and  of  gross  materialism.  It 
was  not  necessary  that  God  should  put  the 
horses  and  chariots  round  about  the  hill  in  order 
to  give  assurance  of  i)rotcction  to  Ivlisha's  serv- 
ant. The  horses  and  chariots  were  already 
there.  This  servant  simply  needed  to  have  his 
eyes  opened  that  he  might  see  them.  Thou- 
sands of  young  men  need  to-day  to  have  their 
eyes  opened  that  they  may  believe  in  the  reality 
of  spiritual  things.  Round  about  us  are  ten 
thousand  spiritual  forces  mightier  than  all  the 
material  forces  known  to  science.  The  silent 
forces  are  always  the  mightiest.  The  sun  lifts 
more  Wc'tcr  into  the  heavens  during  the  silent 
hour  of  a  sununcr's  noon  than  all  the  noisy 
machinety  of  the  earth  could  pump  in  many 
years.  It  is  utterly  unscientific  to  deny  the  ex- 
istence of  spiritual  realities.  They  are  as  sus- 
ceptible of  proof  within  their  own  sphere  as  are 


T>  I' 


214 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


/.: 


the  material  forces  within  tlieir  sphere.  Round 
about  us  are  ministering  spirits  sent  forth  to 
minister  to  the  heirs  of  salvation.  Above  us  is 
the  great  God.  The  pure  in  heart  can  and  do 
see  him,  and  heart  purity  is  the  essential  con- 
dition of  this  beatific  vision.  Only  tiiose  who 
sec  the  Invisible  can  do  the  impossible.  The 
hosts  of  God  shall  as  truly  protect  the  children 
of  God  to-day  as  they  did  Elidia  and  liis  serv- 
ant, and  the  enemies  of  God,  in  various  provi- 
dential ways,  shall  become  as  blind  and  as 
powerless  as  did  the  Syrians  v/hen  they  were  led 
in  helpless  darkness  into  Samaria. 


Round 
t  fortli  to 
bove  us  is 
t"  and  do 
ntial  con- 
iiose  who 
:>le.  Tlie 
-  children 

his  scrv- 
us  provi- 
'   and   as 

were  led 


XX 

THE   PLAIN   OF   ESDRAELON 

THIS  plain  occupies  a  conspicuous  place  in 
the  topography  of  Palestine,  and  its  place 
in  the  history  of  Israel  is  scarcely  less  conspicu- 
ous.    Any  description  of  Palestine  which  should 
omit  a  full  reference  to  this  plain  would  indeed 
be   Hamlet   with   Hamlet   left  out.     For  thou- 
sands of   years   this   great  plain   has  been  the 
highway  of  the  nations,  and  for  thousands  of 
years  it  has  been  also  the  battlefield  of  the  world. 
Perhaps  there  is  no  field  on  the  globe  where 
under  so  many  different  civilizations  the  clash  of 
arms,  the  groans  of  the  dying,  and  the  shouts 
of  the  vif  toiious  have  so  often  been  heard  ;  per- 
haps no  field  which  so  often  has  been  fattened 
by  the  blood  of  the  slain.     This  plain  is  the 
map   of    Israel itish    history.     It   has   been   the 
judgment  field  of  n  any  nations,  and  it  gives  its 
name  to  the  last  great  battle  between  good  and 
evil.     Its  history  is  the  history  of  nations  and 
centuries.     I^ater  I  shall  speak  of  these  histori- 
cal matters  more  in  detail. 

Name  and  Shape.— The  word  Esdraelon  is 
merely  the  Hebrew  word  Jezreel  in  the  form 
which  the  Greek  language  givc.>,  it.     The  plain 

2IS 


2l6 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


',<  I 


A: 


•    ( 


is  sometimes  called  simply  the  valley  of  Jezreel, 
because  of  its  relation  to  the  old  royal  city  of 
Jezreel  which  was  situated  on  a  spur  of  ]Mount 
Gilboa  near  the  east  side  of  the  plain.  It  was 
called  the  valley  of  Megiddo,  because  of  its  re- 
lation to  Megiddo,  the  old  royal  city  of  the 
Canaanites.  Megiddo  stood  on  its  southern  bor- 
der, and  it  was  at  IMegiddo  that  Barak  won  his 
great  victory  and  that  Josiah  received  his  death 
wound.  Josephus  called  it  simply  the  Great 
Plain.  This  name  is  given  to  the  large  expanse 
of  level  or  undulating  land  lying  between  Jez- 
reel and  Acre.  It  is  from  twelve  to  eighteen 
miles  wide,  and  it  extends  from  the  Jordan  to 
the  Mediterranean  Sea.  It  separates  the  moun- 
tain ranges  of  Carmel  and  Samaria  from  those 
of  Galilee.  The  plain  is  nearly  a  triangle.  Its 
base  is  on  the  east  and  extends  from  the  town  of 
Jenin  to  the  foot  of  the  hills  below  Nazareth, 
and  is  about  sixteen  miles  long.  The  north  side 
is  formed  Ly  the  hills  of  Galilee  and  is  about 
thirteen  miles ;  the  south  side  is  formed  by  the 
Samaria  range  and  is  about  eighteen  to  twenty 
miles  long.  The  apex  on  the  west  opens  through 
a  narrow  pass  into  the  plain  of  Acre,  the  ancient 
Accho.  The  plain  rises  gradually  from  the 
Mediterranean  about  four  hundred  feet.  The 
west  part  is  level,  but  on  the  east  it  is  more 
undulating,  and  is  finally  broken  by  Moimt  Gil- 
boa  and  Little  Henlion  into  three  valleys  about 
two  to  three  miles  in  width,  and  these  valleys  at 
length  sink  down  into  the  valley  of  the  Jordan. 
The  middle  of  these  valleys  is  properly  the  val- 


f  Jezreel, 
il  city  of 
>f  Mount 
It  was 
)f  its  re- 
'  of   tlie 
lerii  bor- 
won  ]iis 
is  deatli 
e  Great 
expanse 
-en  Jcz- 
igliteen 
rdan  to 
:  nioun- 

I  those 
le.     Its 
own  of 
zaretli, 
til  side 

about 
by  the 
wenty 
rough 
ncient 

II  the 
The 

more 
tGil- 
about 
^}'s  at 
rdan. 
i  val- 


THE   PI,AIN   OF   ESDRAELON  217 


ley  of  Jezreel.     The   manner   in    which    these 
three  branches  stretch  eastward  from  the  base  of 
the  plain  has  been  well  likened  to  the  fino-ers 
from  a  hand.     These  fingers  are  divided  by  two 
gray  ridges  of  mountains,  one  called  Mount  Gil- 
boa  and    the  other    Uttle    Hermon,  or  by  the 
Arabs    Jebel   el-Duhy.     To  the   northwest   the 
river  Kishon  traverses  this  great  plain.     In  the 
•spring  it  IS  green  with  grain  of  different  kinds 
when  properly  cultivated  ;   but  where  it  is  nccr. 
lected  weeds  grow  in  great  profusion.     Once  k 
was  well  watered  and  famous  for  its  fertility  but 
now  there  is  a  blight  from  which  the  whole  land 
suffers      Here  and  there  are  knolls  on   whose 
sides  ohve  trees  grow.     The  soil  naturally  is  ex- 
ceedingly  rich,   but  the  plain  is  almost  unin- 
habited.    A  few  small  villages  are  seen  on  its 
borders,  but  its  crops  are  insecure  because  of  the 
depredations  of   roving   Bedouins,   who   are   as 
ikely  to  rob  the  peasants  of  their  crops  as  were 
the  Midianites  in  the  days  of  Gideon,  and  most 
ot  the  soil  now  is  in  the  hands  of  rich  men  in 
Damascus  and  Beirut,  who  are  almost  as  hard 
on  the  peasants  as  were  the  Midianites  in  the 
early  day  and  as  are  the  Bedouins  in  our  day 
There  IS  no  small  ownership.     A  few  men  living 
in  different  parts  of  the  country,  especially  in 
the  two  cities  named,  farm  out  parts  of  the  o-reat 
plain.     The  blight  of   Turkish   tyrannv  leaves 
much  of  It  uncultivated  and  practically  deserted 
The  highways  are  deserted  and  the  villages  have 
mostly  ceased,  but  under  proper  cultivation  great 
prosperity  would  be  certain. 


'I 


n  \ 


^         :1       'i 


I'll 


* 

i    -^ 

i 

f 

^i 

2l8 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


Scripture  Places. — Within  single  views  a 
wonderful  number  of  places  mentioned  in  Scrip- 
ture cluster  together.  Doctor  Fish  calls  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  standing  at  the  opening  of 
the  plain  we  can  see  at  the  west  IMount  Carmel  ; 
at  the  north  the  mountains  of  Zebulun,  Naph- 
tali,  and  Issachar,  including  those  back  of  Naza- 
reth ;  at  the  east  INIounts  Tabor,  Little  Hermon, 
and  Gilboa ;  and  we  also  see  the  sites  of  Jezreel, 
Bethshan,  Shuncni,  Nain,  Endor,  Cana,  and 
Nazareth,  and  still  other  places  famous  in  the 
story  of  the  Old  Testament  or  the  New.  Think 
of  all  the  history  which  in  both  Testaments 
gathers  about  these  names  !  Long  had  I  wished 
to  ride  over  this  plain.  Now  this  wish  is  grati- 
fied, and  I  am  actually  treading  this  historic 
soil. 

Battlefield  of  the  World. — The  valley 
of  Megiddo,  I  have  already  remarked,  is  so 
called  from  the  city  of  Megiddo,  which  stood 
on  its  southern  border ;  it  was  liere  also  thnt 
Barak  triumphed  and  that  King  Josiah  received 
his  death  wound.  It  is  not  at  all  unlikely 
that  the  Apostle  John,  in  describing  in  the 
book  of  Revelation  the  final  conflict  between 
the  hosts  of  good  and  evil  gathered  to  a  plain 
called  Ar-mageddon,  which  is  just  the  Hebrew 
for  the  city  of  IVIegiddo,  had  this  place  in  mind. 
This  plain  was  the  great  battleground  of  Pales- 
tine, in  a  sense  of  the  world.  Its  situation  made 
it  such.  It  was  always  the  main  passage  of  en- 
trance and  exit  for  the  nations  whose  methods 


I? 

I 


THE   PLAIN   OF   ESDRAELON 


219 


of  warfare  limited  them  to  the  level  country. 
Thus  it  became  the  arena  of  war  between  tlie 
lowlanders,  who  trusted  in  their  chariots,  and  the 
highlanders,  who  fought  most  successfully  on  the 
heights.  None  of  the  battles  which  secured  the 
conquest  of  the  land  for  the  Israelites  were 
fought  here.  Most  of  them  took  place  in  the 
south.  jMost  of  the  battles  in  Esdraelon  were 
forced  on  the  Israelites  by  invading  armies. 
Israel  won  some  great  victories  here,  but  the 
plain  will  always  be  associated  in  history  with 
the  defeat  of  Saul  at  Gilboa  and  of  Jos'iah  at 
Megiddo.  These  two  defeats  gave  rise  to  the 
two  saddest  dirges  in  the  literature  of  the  Jewish 
people.  On  this  plain  have  glittered  the  lances 
of  the  wild  men  of  Moab.  The  soil  has  trem- 
bled under  the  horses'  feet  and  under  the 
chariots  of  the  Pharaohs  and  the  Ptolemies. 
Over  it  thundered  Sennacherib  ;  over  it  marched 
in  stately  tread  the  phalanxes  of  IMacedonia  and 
Rome.  Here  Deborah  and  Barak  encountered 
the  forces  of  Sisera,  and  the  battle  which  fol- 
lowed swept  over  most  of  the  plain  and  dyed  its 
waters  and  fattened  its  soil  with  blood.  At  the 
foot  of  the  ridge  where  stood  Jezreel  Gideon 
achieved  his  great  victoi-y  over  the  Amalekites 
and  the  Midianites.  By  the  fountain  near  the 
same  city  the  host  of  Israel  under  Saul  en- 
camped before  it  was  chased  on  the  mountains 
of  Gilboa.  At  Alegiddo,  as  we  have  seen,  Josiah 
was  slain  by  the  Egyptians  under  Pharaoh- 
necho.  Across  this  plain  Elijah  ran  sixteen 
miles  from  Carmel  before  the  chariot  of  Ahab. 


1  : 


[iV^I- 


220 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


At  the  foot  of  Tabor  Vespasian  fought  against 
the  Jews.  Here  the  Cruiaders  and  Saracens 
have  slaughtered  each  other. 

It  has  been  the  chosen  place  of  battles  in  the 
Holy  Land  from  Nebuchadnezzar  to  Napoleon. 
Jews,  Gentiles,  Saracens,  Egyptians,  Persians, 
Druses,  Turks,  Arabs,  Crusaders,  and  French- 
men, warriors  of  every  nation  under  heaven 
have  here  fought  in  fierce  battles.  The  most 
noted  modern  contest  was  that  of  1799.  The 
Turks  with  an  army  of  twenty-five  thousand 
(some  say  twenty-seven  thousand)  were  utterly 
vanquished  by  the  French,  who  with  fifteen 
hundred  (some  authorities  nearly  double  the 
number)  men  under  Kleber  fought  for  six  hours 
and  were  finally  succored  by  Napoleon,  who 
came  with  six  hundred  men  and  dashed  upon 
the  foe  with  such  terrible  force  as  to  scatter 
them  like  chaff  before  the  wind. 

There  is  no  such  other  plain  in  Palestine, 
historically  or  geographically.  The  language 
of  Doctor  Clarke,  quoted  in  Smith's  "  Bible 
Dictionary,"  is  not  too  strong  to  picture  the 
wonderful  scenes  here  enacted.  He  says  :  "  War- 
riors out  of  every  nation  which  is  under  heaven, 
have  pitched  their  tents  in  the  plain  of  Esdraelon, 
and  have  beheld  the  various  banners  of  their 
nations  wet  with  the  dews  of  Tabor  and  Her- 
mon."  Napoleon  is  represented  as  having  been 
profoundly  moved  with  the  memories  of  Christ, 
the  Prince  of  Peace,  as  he  rode  past  Tabor  to 
engage  in  bloody  battle  on  this  historic  plain. 
Of  some  of  these  stirring  events  I  shall  speak 


I     ' 


THE   PLAIN   OF   ESDRAKLON 


221 


i  against 
Saracens 

's  in  tlie 
apoleon. 
?*ersians, 
French - 
heaven 
lie  most 
?.     Tlie 
lousand 
ntterly 
fifteen 
ble   the 
«  hours 
n,   who 
i  upon 
scatter 

lestine, 
iRwage 
'Bible 
re  the 
"  War- 
eaven, 
aelon, 

their 

Her- 

been 
:hrist, 
)or  to 
plain, 
speak 


more  at  length   in  connection  with  the  places 
where  they  occurred. 

Other  Characteristics  of  the  Plain. — 
Its  great  richness  is  to  be  noted.     Beautiful  is 
the  contrast  between  i.s  greenness  and  the  gray 
bleak  crowns  of  Gilboa  and  the  rugged  ranges 
on  the  north  and  south.     It  was  a  frontier  of  the 
tril)e  of  Zebulun,  and  in  Dent.  ^^  :  i8  we  read: 
"Rejoice,  Zebulun,  in  thy  going  out."     It  was 
also  the  special  portion  of  Issachar,  and  we  read  : 
"  And  he  saw  that  rest  was  good,  and  the  land 
that  it  was  pleasant ;  and  he  bowed  his  shoulder 
to  bear,  and    became  a  servant  uiito  tribute." 
But  its  present  desolation  is  equally  observable. 
It  is  authoritatively  said  that  "  if  we  except  the 
eastern  branches,  there  is  not  a  single  inhabited 
village  on  its  whole  surface  and  not  more  than 
one-sixth  of   its  soil   is  cultivated."     Here  the 
wandering  Bedouin  has  his  home.     He  dashes 
over   its   smooth    turf    on    his   fleet    horse;    he 
plunders  peasants  and  tourists.    He  then  hastens, 
when  hard  pressed,  beyond  the  Jordan,  carrying 
his  tents,  flocks,  and  herds  with  him,  and  the 
government  is  too  weak  to  follow  and  punish 
him.     The   plain   has  always  been  greatly  ex- 
posed.    Over  it  rode  the  old  Canaanites  in  their 
iron  chariots,  and  before  them  the  Israelites  were 
powerless.    To  it  came  in  the  time  of  Gideon,  as 
we  have  seen,  the  nomad  IMidianites  and  Amale- 
kites,  those  children  of  the  East,  who  were  "as 
grasshoppers  for  multitude"  and  whose  camels 
were  as  the  sands  of  the  sea  for  numbers. 


ti 


li 


'.*'    1 


222 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


1.^ 


1.^  I 


,   ' 


ii 


While  our  friend  Doctor  Fish  was  at  IMegiddo 
some  prowling  Bedouins  crept  to  his  tent  door 
and  stole  his  trunk,  which  was  near  his  head. 
The  trunk  was  recovered,  and  a  second  time 
came  the  Bedouin  prowlers,  crawling  on  their 
hands  and  one  foot,  the  other  foot  being  cocked 
over  their  backs  in  imitation  of  the  tails  of  dogs. 
The  first  qualification  for  greatness  on  the  part 
of  an  Arab  is  cxpertness  in  stealing.  It  is  said 
that  the  funeral  services  consist  chiefly  in  a  re- 
cital of  the  virtues  of  the  deceased,  and  if  it  can 
be  said  of  any  dead  Bedouin,  "  He  was  a  good 
man  ;  he  could  steal  by  moonlight  and  in  the 
dark,"  the  highest  encomium  to  his  virtues  is 
paid.  We  were  not  uiolested,  but  we  saw  the 
black  tents  of  the  Bedouins  very  often. 

Dr.  George  Adam  Smith,  in  his  recent  volume, 
"  The  Historical  Geography  of  the  Holy  Land," 
calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  there  are  five 
entrances  to  the  plain  of  Esdraelon  and  that  they 
are  all  visible  from  Jezreel.  With  these  en- 
trances clearly  in  mind,  we  can  readily  see  how 
well  adapted  this  field  was  to  be  the  arena  of 
great  battles.  It  is  really  a  vast  theatre,  as  Doc- 
tor Smith  has  suggested,  with  its  clearly  defined 
stage  and  with  its  proper  exits  and  entrances. 
In  the  first  battle  Israel  not  only  overcame  a 
foreign  tyrant  but  circumvented  that  tyrant  in 
his  purpose  to  prevent  Israel's  unity.  The  en- 
trances to  the  hill  country  of  Israel  were  in  the 
hands  of  the  Canaanites,  and  the  northern 
tribes,  Zebulon  and  Naphtali,  were  cut  off  from 
their  southern  brethren.     The  very  existence  of 


THK   PLAIN    OK    KSDRAKLON 


223 


Megiddo 
ent  door 
lis  head, 
nd  time 
on  their 
r  cocked 
of  dogs, 
the  part 
t  is  said 

in  a  re- 
if  it  can 
i  a  good 

in  the 
rtues  is 
•aw  the 

'oliime, 
Lund," 
ire  five 
at  they 
?S£   en- 
ee  how 
■ena  of 
IS  Doc- 
iefined 
ranees, 
ame  a 
'ant  in 
he  en- 
in  the 
rthern 
■  from 
nee  of 


Israel  was  menaced.  This  fact  was  recognized 
both  in  tlie  song  of  Deborah  and  in  the  prose 
accounts  of  the  battle.  Of  this  battle  I  shall 
have  occasion  to  speak  more  fully  later,  but  it 
is  interesting  to  observe  at  this  point  how  all 
the  plu-sical  conditions  contributed  to  the  suc- 
cess of  Israel  at  this  critical  time  in  her  history. 
The  plain,  owing  to  the  storm,  was  soon  in 'a 
condition  rendering  it  impossible  for  the  chariots 
to  move,  and  the  horses  plunged  helplessly  in 
the  mire.  These  facts  are  brought  out  elo- 
quently in  the  song  of  Deborah.  The  highland 
footmen  were  masters  of  the  situation.  In  this 
great  victory  Barak  and  Deborah  were  helped 
rather  than  hindered  by  the  level  ground.  The 
Turks  in  1799,  when  Kleber  and  Napoleon 
scattered  their  enormously  superior  numbers  on 
this  same  field,  fled  in  the  same  direction  as  did 
Sisera  after  his  defeat. 

This  great  plain  had  a  conspicuous  place  when 
Israel  repelled  the  next  invaders ;  they  were  the 
Arabs  of  various  terrible  names  from  over  the 
Jordan.  Their  battle  was  at  the  head  of  the 
long  vale  running  down  to  Bethshan.  We  shall 
have  occasion  later  to  study  Gideon's  remark- 
ably wise  tactics,  and  to  observe  the  skill  with 
which  he  selected  his  heroes  and  the  success 
with  which  he  followed  up  the  flight  of  his  foes. 
The  campaign  of  the  Philistines  against  Saul, 
and  also  the  other  historical  battles  on  this  field, 
we  cannot  fully  understand  unless  wc  have  the 
characteristics  of  the  field  iiself  clearly  in  mind. 
God  has  made  the  configuration  of  this  plain  to 


1 1 


n 


H 


224 


SUNDAY   NIGHT    I.KCTURES 


\h 


contribute  greatly  to  the  triumph  or  defeat  of  his 
people. 

No  one  can  travel  over  the  great  plain  with- 
out having  striking  illustration  of  the  truth  of 
the  record  in  all  the  accounts  of  the  great 
battles  fought  on  this  field.  Not  more  fully 
does  Gettysburg  illustrate  the  terrible  fighting 
which  was  at  once  the  high-water  mark  of  the 
rebellion  and  its  death  knell  than  does  the  plain 
of  Ksdraelon  illustrate  the  movements  of  the 
armies  which  have  dyed  its  soil  with  blood,  and 
whose  victories  or  defeats  have  changed  the 
history  of  nations.  Palestine  is  an  illustrated 
edition  of  the  Bible. 


I  ii 


( ^ 


»       : 


feat  of  his 


lain  witli- 
e  truth  of 
tlie   orreat 
lore  fully 
-  figliting 
rk  of  the 
the  plain 
ts  of   the 
lood,  and 
iged    the 
llustrated 


XXI 

ZERIN,  THE   ANCIENT  JEZREEL 

WE  Started  early  from  Jen  in  for  our  journey 
across   the   plain   of    Esdraelon.     Soon 
the  villa<,re  of  Taanach  was  pointed  out  on  our 
left.     This  village  consists  of  a  mere  handful  of 
wretched  houses,  although  once  it  was  a  royal 
city  of  the  Canaanites.     It  is  mentioned  in  Josh. 
12  :  21,  and  was  one  of  the  thirty-one  cities  con- 
quered by  Joshua.     It  was  in   the  territory  of 
Issachar,   but   was   assigned   to  Manasseh,  and 
allotted  to  the  Levites.     In  the  war  between  the 
Canaanites  and  Israel  it  was  a  strong  post  of  the 
Canaanites  under  Sisera,  and  seems  to  have  been 
their  headquarters.     The  town  is  mentioned  in 
the  triumphant  song  of   Deborah,  "The  kings 
came   and   fought;    then  fought   the   kings  of 
Canaan  in  Taanach  by  the  waters  of  Megiddo.'" 
We  learn  from  i  Kings  4  :  12  that  it  was  one  of 
Solomon's  places  of  supplies.     All  that  now  re- 
mains of  this  old  and  famous  town  is  the  ruins 
on  a  hill  on  the  southwest  border  of  the  plain 
of  Esdra<.]on. 

About  five  miles  farther  on  we  reach  Megiddo 
now  marked  by  an  old  khan  or  inn.     Megiddo 
and   Taanach    are  always  mentioned  together; 


*Judg.  5 
p 


19. 


!'!■ 


\ 


•  / 


225 


' ' 


226 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURKS 


ft 


tliey  were  evidently  chief  towns  in  tlie  ricli  dis- 
trict wliicli  formed  the  western  portion  of  tlie 
jjreat  plain  of  Ksdraelon.  Like  Taanach,  Mc- 
j^iddo  was  a  royal  city  of  the  Canaanites,  and 
was  also  assigned  to  Manasseh,  although  the 
Canaanites  long  retained  a  foothold  therein.  It 
commanded  a  pass  from  the  plain  on  the  north 
to  the  hill  country  of  Samaria.  It  has  been 
identified  with  a  place  now  called  Leijun,  which 
is  supposed  to  be  the  Legio  of  the  Romans.  It 
was  here  that  King  Ahaziah  died ;  it  was  here 
that  King  Josiah  was  defeated  and  slain,  and 
afterward  sorely  lamented  by  the  nation,'  as  it 
realized  therein  the  death-blow  to  its  hope.  It 
was  easy  to  see  here  how  the  hosts  of  Deborah 
and  Barak  on  the  one  side,  and  those  of  Sisera 
on  the  other,  were  drawn  up  and  how  the  result 
of  the  battle  was  secured.  On  the  summit  of 
Tabor  the  hosts  of  Deborah  and  Barak  were 
assembled ;  those  of  Sisera  in  the  plain  of  Me- 
giddo  between  this  place  and  Taanach.  Debo- 
rah gave  the  signal  for  battle  and  Barak  rushed 
down.  The  stars  fought  against  Sisera ;  the 
rains  fell  in  torrents ;  the  Kishon  rose  and  ran 
furiously.  It  beat  against  the  chariots  and 
horses  and  they  were  swept  away.  Sisera  sprang 
from  his  chariot,  fled  to  the  tent  of  Jael,  and 
was  finally  slain  by  having  the  tent  pin  driven 
through  his  head.  The  whole  course  of  the  bat- 
tle is  plain  as  one  stands  on  the  site  of  the 
ancient  Megiddo. 

'  2  Kings  9  :  27 ;  23  :  29 ;  2  Chron.  35  :  22-2$  ;  Zech.  12  :  ll. 


^  ;  I 


ZKUIX,  TIIK    AN'CIKNT  JKZKKKL 


227 


rich  dis- 
)ii  of  the 
Lich,  Mc- 
iitcs,  and 
u^^h  the 
rein.  It 
lie  north 
las  been 
n,  which 
lans.  It 
was  here 
ain,  and 
)n,'  as  it 
lope.  It 
Deborah 
)f  Sisera 
lie  result 
iiiinit  of 
ak  were 
1  of  Me- 
Debo- 
rushed 
ra  ;  the 
and  ran 
ots  and 
sprang 
lel,  and 
driven 
he  bat- 
of    the 


h.  12  :  II. 


j 


JKZUKKI.,  "TIIK  SOWING  OF  GoP." — We  pass 
now  under  the  l)are  niouiilains  of  (»ilboa  and 
soon  we  reach  the  iiiodcni  Zerin,  the  ancient  Jez- 
reel.  Tliis  is  now  a  wretched  hamlet  of  some 
twenty  houses.  It  is  surrounded  with  heaps  of 
rubl)ish.  Many  holes  may  be  discovered  in 
which  j^rain  is  hidden  with  the  hope  of  puttiu}^ 
it  out  of  the  reach  of  thievish  Hedouius,  as  in 
the  davs  of  (iideon  similar  holes  were  used  as 
storehouses  to  protect  grain  from  the  predatory 
Midianites.  A  superl)  view  is  ours  here.  The 
eyes  takes  in  the  plain  of  Ksdraelon,  as  far  as 
Carmel  on  the  one  side,  and  the  valley  of  the 
Jordan  on  the  other.  What  is  known,  in  the 
limited  sense,  as  the  valley  of  Jezreel,  lies  to  the 
north  of  Zerin. 

What  memories  crowd  upon  us  here !  Here 
live  again  Ahab  and  Jezebel,  Nabotli  and  Kli- 
jali.  Jezreel  was  the  royal  city  of  Ahab  and  of 
successive  monarchs.  Here  stood  his  superb 
palace,  but  not  a  trace  of  it  remains  to-day. 
Here  lived  in  royal  splendor  Jezebel,  the  Clyteni- 
nestra,  the  Lady  Macbeth  of  the  Bible ;  and 
from  the  window  of  the  royal  palace  she  was 
thrown  to  be  devoured  by  dogs  in  the  street. 
Here  was  enacted  the  story  of  Naboth  and  his 
vineyard ;  and  here,  finally,  the  whole  family  of 
Ahab  was  put  to  death  by  the  fierce,  relentless, 
but  providential  Jehu.  These  events  are  so 
thrilling,  and  withal  so  instructive,  that  before 
we  ride  farther  we  must  pause  to  recite  the  story 
more  fully  and  learn  the  lessons  it  so  impress- 
ively teaches. 


i      •• 


^ 


'  I. 


228 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


The  name  Zerin  is  really  Jezreel,  having 
simply  passed  through  the  changes  incident  to 
being  dressed  in  different  languages.  The  word 
means  ''God's  sowing,"  a  name  derived  from  the 
richness  of  the  soil  in  this  plain.  The  word  is 
rightly  applied  to  the  valley  between  Gilboa  and 
Little  Hermon,  but  in  a  more  limited  sense  it  is 
used  of  the  city.  The  historical  importance  of 
the  place  dates  from  the  reign  of  Ahab,  who 
chose  it  as  the  place  of  one  of  his  palaces.  It 
was  a  kind  of  summer  residence.  Oniri  chose 
Samaria,  and  Baasha  chose  Tirzah,  and  Ahab 
divided  his  time  between  Samaria  and  Jezreel. 
The  site  shows  the  wisdom  of  choosing  Jezreel. 
It  rises  gently  out  of  the  fertile  plain  of  Esdra- 
elon,  and  was  a  place  of  great  strength.  There 
is  on  the  northeast  side  a  rocky  descent  of  at 
least  one  hundred  feet.  The  place  was  easily 
fortified,  and  in  that  day  this  was  a  most  im- 
portant consideration.  The  place  also  enjoyed 
the  advantages  of  a  central  locality  ;  it  looked 
straight  toward  the  wide  west  level  and  it  com- 
manded a  view  toward  the  Jordan.  On  the  east 
was  the  Jordan  ;  on  the  west  Carmel.  The  lo- 
cation was  simply  superb. 

In  or  near  Jezreel  were  a  temple  and  grove  of 
Astarte  ;  there  was  also  an  establishment  of  four 
hundred  priests  supported  by  and  under  the  di- 
rection of  Jezebel.  On  the  east  side  of  the  city 
was  the  palace  of  Aliab  ;  here  too,  perhaps  form- 
ing a  part  of  the  palace,  was  his  "ivory  house." 
The  palace  in  which  Jezebel  lived  was  on  the 
city  wall  and  had  a  high  window  facing  east- 


I 


[\ 


t\  ■  I 


(Hi 


ZERIN,  THE    ANCIENT  JEZREEL 


229 


having 
ident  to 
he  word 
roiii  the 
word  is 
boa  and 
nse  it  is 
tance  of 
lb,  who 
ces.  It 
i  chose 
I  Ahab 
Jezreel. 
Jezreel. 

Esdra- 

There 
t  of  at 
5  easily 
3st  ini- 
?njoyed 

looked 
it  com- 
he  east 
^le  lo- 

rove  of 
of  four 
he  di- 
le  city 
form- 
ouse." 
)n  the 
:  east- 


ward. There  was  --Aiso  a  watch-tower  on  which 
a  sentinel  stood  t  j  give  notice  of  the  coming  of 
messengers,  especially  from  the  disturbed  dis- 
tricts east  of  the  Jordan.  To  this  day  among 
the  hovels  there  is  a  square  tower  which  may  be 
the  modern  representative  of  that  ancient  "  Mig- 
dol,"  or  ''  tower  in  Jezreel."  Adjoining  the 
royal  domain  was  the  tract  of  land  which  be- 
longed by  hereditary  right  to  Nabotli. 

When  the  house  of  Ahab  fell  the  glory  of 
Jezreel  departed.  No  other  king  selected  the 
place  for  his  capital.  The  blight  of  God  seemed 
10  rest  on  the  place.  Terribly  instructive  are 
the  silence  and  desolation  of  the  place  to-day. 
The  glory  truly  is  departed.  Where  is  the 
splendor  of  Ahab's  ivory  palace  ?  Where  is  the 
glory  of  Jezebel's  power?  Elijah  seems  still  to 
haunt  the  place  as  the  incarnation  of  divine 
justice  to  punish  the  manifold  weaknessos  and 
wickednesses  of  Ahab  and  his  fierce  and  cri:el 
Jezebel. 

Ahab  and  Jezebel. — We  may  now  fittingly 
look  at  this  king  and  queen  of  the  olden  time. 
There  never  was  a  weak  Ahab  but  that  by  his 
sldfc  there  was  a  wicked  Jezebel.  Weakness  is 
often  virtually  wickedness.  Ahab  wns  the 
seventh  king  of  Israel  and  the  son  of  King 
Omri,  wiK/in  lie  succeeded  918  b.  c.  For  twenty- 
two  years,  n^/twithstauding  his  many  sins,  he 
reigned  ovef  Israel.  The  story  of  liis  life  is 
stained  with  crime,  Jezebel,  his  wife,  was  the 
daughtev  of  Kthbaal,  king  of  Tyre  and  Sidon. 


I 


I    i'l 


230 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    LECTURES 


\,      li 


A^ 


She  was  an  ambitions  and  passionate  idolatress. 
She  spent  her  time  and  thonght,  with  Ahab's 
co-operation,  in  the  effort  to  establish  idolatry 
in  Samaria  and  to  exterminate  the  worship  and 
destroy  the  servants  of  God.  The  brave  Oba- 
diah,  at  the  risk  of  his  own  life,  saved  one  hun- 
dred of  the  prophets  of  God.  Four  hundred 
and  fifty  prophets  of  Baal,  under  the  direction 
of  Ahab,  perished  at  Mount  Carmel  at  the  word 
of  Elijah,  and  then  Jezebel  sought  to  a  venose 
herself  on  Elijah  ;  and,  bold  as  he  undoubtedly 
was,  he  ran  with  fear  from  her  presence.  Ahab 
long-ed  for  the  plot  of  o^round  which  beloncred 
to  Naboth.  He  whined  like  a  spoiled  child. 
Jezebel  rebuked  him.  She  would  <^et  it  for  him. 
She  did  secure  it  by  perjuries  and  murders. 
What  cared  she  for  either?  But  with  NabotlTs 
vineyard  she  got  also  the  hated  presence  of 
Elijah  and  the  dreaded  curse  of  God.  We  pay 
a  high  price  for  any  pleasure  when  we  o-ive  for 
it  otmr  sense  of  justice  and  the  favor  of  God. 
Jezebel  diffused  the  poison  of  her  idolatry  in 
Israel  ;  throug-h  her  own  influence  and  through 
her  daughter  Athaliah  she  sent  the  virus  into 
Judah,  and  her  son  Jehoram  perpetuated  her 
evil  influence  in  Israel.  Her  name  has  become 
a  proverb  for  boldness  and  badness,  for  profli- 
gacy and  malice.  In  Samaria  Ahab  erected  a 
house  of  Baal,  and  set  images  of  Baal  and  Ashto- 
reth.  We  read  that  he  "did  more  to  provoke 
the  Lord  to  anger  than  all  the  kings  that  were 
bom  before  him.''  As  a  punishment  for  his  sin 
God  visited  the  laud  with  three  years  of  drought 


ZERIN,  THE  ANCIENT  JEZREEL 


231 


of 


and  famine ;  and  then  on  that  great  day  on 
Mount  Carmel  God  destroyed  the  prophets  of 
Baal  and  Ashtoreth. 

Ahab  went  on  in  sin.  After  the  murder  of 
Naboth  Elijah  denounced  the  punishment  of 
God  upon  him.  A  little  time  passed.  With 
Jehoshaphat,  king  of  Judah,  he  sought  to  regain 
Ramoth-Gilead  from  the  Syrians.  God  warned 
him  against  the  battle,  but  he  defied  God.  He, 
however,  took  the  precaution  to  disguise  himself 
so  that  he  might  not  be  so  conspicuous  a  mark 
for  the  archers  of  Ben-hadad.  One  of  them 
"  drew  a  Ijow  at  a  venture  "  and  slew  him.  For 
a  time  he  was  supported  in  his  chariot,  but 
toward  evening  he  died  and  his  army  was  dis- 
persed. He  was  brought  to  Samaria  to  be 
buried,  and  while  his  .servant  was  wa.sliing  his 
chariot  the  dogs  licked  up  the  blood  of  Ahab,  as 
Elijah  had  predicted. 

The  death  of  Jezebel  was  equally  terrible. 
She  was  the  evil  .spirit  of  his  reign.  Fourteen 
years  passed  after  the  death  of  Ahab.  As 
queen-mother  Jezebel  was  of  great  influence  in 
the  court  of  her  sons.  Jehu  now  advanced 
against  Jezreel  to  overthrow  the  dynasty  of 
Ahab.  Tt  was  the  supreme  moment  in  the 
liistor\  oi  her  house,  and  the  spirit  of  the  aged 
queen  rose  with  the  determination  of  despair  to 
meet  it.  She  was  in  the  palace  overlooking  the 
approach  from  the  east,  and  .she  saw  Jehu  driving 
furiously  in  his  chariot.  She  painted  her  eye- 
lids and  tirec  her  head.  Perhaps  .she  thought 
she  could  fa.scinabe:   Jehu  ;    perhaps  she  simply 


'  i 


232 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


W      fi 


I    ' 


^} 


desired  to  appear  in  all  the  charms  of  regal 
splendor.  She  looked  down  on  him  from  the 
high  latticed  window  and  taunted  him  with  an 
allusion  to  a  former  act  of  treason.  Jehu  looked 
up  at  her  and  hurled  at  her  words  of  defiance. 
"  Throw  her  down,"  he  shouted.  Two  or  three 
servants  obeyed  his  command  and  dashed  their 
royal  mistress  down  from  her  chamber.  In  front 
of  Jehu's  chariot  she  fell,  and  the  blood  from  her 
mangled  corpse  dashed  on  the  wall  behind  and 
on  the  horses  in  front.  On  went  Jehu,  and  his 
chariot  wheels  and  horses'  hoofs  crushed  out 
whatever  of  life  remained.  The  body  was  left 
where  the  offal  from  the  cities  was  thrown.  The 
dogs,  packs  of  which  may  be  seen  to-day  on  the 
sp<^>t,  pounced  on  this  unexpected  prey.  Soon 
nothing  was  left  but  the  skull,  the  soles  of  the 
feet,  and  the  palms  of  the  hands.  Jehu's  heart 
was  touched  a!id  he  said :  "  Go,  see  now  this 
cursed  woman  and  bury  her,  for  she  is  a  king's 
daughter."  Tlius  were  the  awful  words  of 
Elijah  fulfilled:  "In  the  portion  of  Jezreel 
shall  dogs  eat  the  flesh  of  Jezebel,  and  the  car- 
cass of  Jezebel  shall  be  as  dung  on  the  face  of 
the  earth,  so  that  they  shall  not  say,  this  is 
Jezebel." 

It  is  easy  for  us  to  learn  practical  lessons  from 
the  histor\  we  have  been  studying.  The  weak- 
ness in  Ahab's  character  was  wickedness.  He 
was  merely  Jezebel's  puppet.  He  followed  her 
guidance  aiid  became  the  victim  of  her  superior 
strength  and  his  own  reprehensible  weakness. 
A  man  must  not  be  morally  weak  in  the  pres- 


ZERIN,  THE   ANCIENT  JEZREKL  233 


4 


ence  of  temptations  on  the  one  side  and  obliga- 
tions on  the  other.  Adam  could  not  excuse 
himself  in  the  garden  by  weakly  and  covvardlike 
throwing  the  responsibility  upon  the  woman. 
Adam's  ungallant  spirit  in  this  respect  showed 
the  degrading  influence  of  sin  upon  his  more 
manly  nature.  Each  man  must  bear  the  burden 
of  his  own  responsibility,  notwithstanding  the 
share  that  others  may  have  in  tempting  him  to 
evil. 

We  see  also  the  evils  of  an  unholy  marriage. 
Ahab  ought  never  to  have  married  the  daughter 
of  Ethbaal.  This  unfortunate  marriage  was  the 
turning  point  in  his  whole  history.'  She  was 
reckless,  fierce,  licentious,  and  idolatrous.  She 
united  religious  fanaticism  with  a  naturally  un- 
governable temper.  She  was  the  evil  genius  of 
Ahab's  dynasty  ;  she  cared  neither  for  God  nor 
man.  She  showed  her  power  over  her  weak 
husband  when  she  determined  to  secure  for  him 
the  vineyard  of  Naboth.  One  would  think  that 
the  hand  of  death  had  come  into  the  palace 
when  he  beholds  the  sorrow  of  Ahab  because  he 
could  not  have  this  plot  of  ground.  He  was  the 
lordly  possessor  of  palaces  ; '  he  was  at  the  proud 
pinnacle  of  human  ambition  ;  he  had  servants 
and  soldiers  to  do  his  bidding,  but  he  could  not 
be  satisfied  until  he  secured  possession  of  the 
hereditary  vineyard  of  the  Jezreelite.  His 
conduct  was  positively  contemptible.  Strictly 
speaking,  the  soil  of  Israel  was  the  property 
neither  of  Ahab  nor  Naboth,  but  of  God.  By 
the  law  of  Moses  Naboth  was  prohibited  from 


I '  '!l 


y.W 


I  t 

<    4 

.1' 


"I 


234 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


1     I 


parting  with  his  paternal  inheritance.  Naboth, 
therefore,  rejected  Ahab's  offer.  He  must  obey 
God  rather  than  man.  We  now  see  the  evil  of 
having  this  Clytemnestra  or  Lady  Macbeth  by 
the  side  of  King  Ahab.  He  had  not  the  moral 
courage  to  perform  the  foul  deed  by  which  he 
hoped  to  gratify  his  selfish  will.  Jezebel  would 
do  it ;  her  queen-craft  would  be  as  successful  as 
it  was  Satanic. 

Ahab  and  Jezebel  were  unevenly  yoked  to- 
gether. Her  name  was  originally  a  beautiful 
name ;  it  is  simply  our  Isabella.  It  has  the 
significance,  in  the  matter  of  moral  purity,  of 
our  name  Agnes,  but  the  wild  license  and  the 
magical  fascination  of  this  woman  has  made  her 
name  the  synonym  of  cruelty,  idolatry,  and  mur- 
der. Just  as  the  word  Jesuit,  so  suggestive  of  all 
that  is  deceitful  and  much  that  is  abominable, 
comes  from  the  sweet  and  holy  name  Jesus,  so 
Jezebel  is  the  chaste  and  beautiful  name  Isa- 
bella. Long  afterward  the  name  lived  as  a  by- 
word for  all  that  was  execrable  in  conduct. 
This  is  strikingly  illustrated  by  the  use  of  the 
word  in  the  book  of  Revelation. 

We  see  also  the  certainty  that  God  will  punish 
sin.  Neither  Ahab  nor  Jezebel  could  escape. 
Sin  seems  to  be  a  slight  matter  until  it  is  com- 
mitted, then  it  appears  in  its  true  character  as 
exceeding  sin^^ul.  When  men  have  committed 
the  crime  even  Satan  seems  to  burn  the  sense 
of  its  iniquity  into  the  soul  of  his  own  victim. 
Let  us  trust  Him  who  alone  can  cleanse  from  sin 
and  give  us  the  victory  over  every  temptation. 


'i '' 


(!  ^ 


i 


XXII 

FOUNTAIN   OF   GIDEON 

WE  might  go  directly  across  the  valley  to 
Sliunem,  but  by  making  a  short  detour 
to  the  east,  we  may  visit  tlie  fountain  of  Jezreel, 
or  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  the  fountain  of 
Gideon.  The  water  is  clear  as  crystal.  It  issues 
from  a  rocky  cavern  and  flows  off  in  a  goodly 
stream.  Few  places  are  suggestive  of  more 
thrilling  memories.  Here  the  stirring  events 
recorded  in  the  sixth  and  seventh  chapters  of  the 
book  of  Judges  live  and  move  again  before  us. 
Here  it  was  that  Gideon  encamped  against  the 
Midianites ;  here  that  the  three  hundred  picked 
men  lapped  the  water,  and  of  these  men  (iod 
had  said:  "By  the  three  hundred  men  that 
lapped  will  I  save  you,  and  deliver  the  Midian- 
ites into  thine  hand."  Let  us  look  at  these  re- 
markable events  ;  they  will  well  repay  our  care- 
ful study. 

Brave,  dashing,  and  victorious  were  the  sol- 
diers of  the  heroic  Gideon.  They  are  wortliy  of 
immortality  ;  and  they  have  been  immortalized 
on  the  page  of  sacred  story.  They  lose  noth- 
ing of  their  grandeur  and  glory  even  when  com- 
pared with  the  "noble  six  hundred"  who  rode 
into  "the  jaws  of  death,"  "into  the  mouth  of 

235 


i 


236 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


hell,"  and  whose  praise  is  chanted  in  immortal 
verse  by  the  laureate  Tennyson.  In  giving 
praise  to  Gideon  and  "  glory  to  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  from  whom  all  glories  are,"  we  desire  to 
detract  nothing  from  the  illustrious  three  hun- 
dred, whobc  heroic  and  patriotic  piety  gave  them 
a  unique  place  not  only  in  the  Bible,  but  in  the 
history  of  brave  men  of  every  century  and  every 
clime. 


The  Country  Devastated. — In  order  right- 
ly to  understand  the  events  recorded  in  connec- 
tion with  the  bravery  and  victory  of  Gideon  we 
must  have  clearly  in  our  minds  the  condition  of 
the  country  at  the  time.  Earlier  in  this  history 
we  have  the  account  of  the  defeat  of  Sisera. 
That  defeat  marked  the  failure  of  the  last  at- 
tempt by  the  old  inhabitants  to  overthrow  the 
people  of  God.  Now,  however,  enemies  from 
new  quarters  afflict  the  children  of  Israel.  They 
are  the  IMidianites  and  the  Amalckites.  The 
Midianites  had  gradually  spread  northward  from 
the  peninsula  of  Sinai,  and  the  Amalekites  were 
the  old  enemies  of  Israel  whom  they  had  fought 
at  Rephidim.  These  two  peoples  had  now 
joined  their  interests  with  some  other  tribes, 
known  under  the  general  title  of  "  the  children 
of  the  East,"  in  order  to  overthrow  Israel.  They 
were  accustomed  to  make  incursions  at  harvest 
time,  when  they  carried  off  flocks  and  destroyed 
the  harvests,  after  the  manner  of  the  Bedouin 
Arabs  of  the  present  day.  The  Israelites  were 
reduced   to  the  sorest  distress ;  many  of   them 


I     \ 


I      • 


FOUNTAIN    OF   GIDKON 


237 


were  obliged  to  dwell  in  the  mountains,  in  caves, 
and  in  strongholds.  They  did  not  dare  to  reside 
in  the  open  country,  but  were  obliged  to  find 
protection  in  these  retired  places  and  hidden 
caverns.  Frequently  still,  whole  neighborhoods 
are  exposed  to  these  ravages,  and  as  a  result 
whole  villages  have  disappeared  from  the  face  of 
the  earth.  The  peasants  prefer  to  climb  to  a 
safe  retreat  in  the  hills  where  attacks  are  not 
easily  made,  rather  than  take  the  risk  of  living 
in  the  open  fields.  In  Gideon's  time  these  raids 
were  on  an  especially  gigantic  scale.  Cruel  as  is 
war  always  and  everywhere,  it  was  especially  so 
in  the  midst  of  the  terrible  sufferings  inflicted 
upon  the  helpless  Israelites.  Two  chiefs,  having 
the  title  of  kings,  are  especially  brought  to  our 
notice,  Zebah,  the  "  man-killer,"  and  Zalmunna, 
"the  pitiless."  Their  names  indicate  the  power 
they  exercised  and  the  terror  they  inspired. 
There  were  two  inferior  chiefs,  named  Oreb, 
"  the  raven,"  and  Zeeb,  "  the  wolf  "  ;  these  latter 
bore  the  title  of  "  princes."  These  four  chiefs  led 
their  wild  followers  in  battle  array  against  the  de- 
fenseless inhabitants.  The  picture  of  their  army 
given  in  the  narrative  is  striking  and  startling. 
They  are  represented  as  appearing  like  the  Aral) 
chiefs  of  modern  days  arrayed  in  gorgeous  scarlet 
robes,  while  on  their  necks  and  the  necks  of 
their  camels  there  were  gold  chains  and  crescent- 
shaped  ornaments.  All  their  women  were  dressed 
with  ear  and  nose  rings  of  gold,  tocrether  with 
many  other  jewels.  This  is  the  picture  given  us 
in  this  ancient  record  of  the  dashing  and  heart- 


'1  ni' 


K  : 


I  r 


in 


(« 


ki 


I  ^    \ 


238 


SUNDAY   NIGHT    LKCTURKS 


less  enemies  of  Israel,  and  of  the  sad  condition 
of  the  people  themselves. 

GiDKON  THE  Dkmvkrkr. — When  the  night 
is  darkest,  the  morning  is  near ;  when  the  knell 
of  liberty  is  sonnding,  the  dc-livercr  is  born. 
When  the  tale  of  bricks  was  doul)led,  then  came 
Moses ;  when  Israel  was  in  desj)air  and  her  ene- 
mies in  triumph,  then  came  (iidcon,  heroic  de- 
liverer and  triumphant  soldier  of  God.  Our 
thought  must  be  fixed  upon  him  for  a  little  as 
we  study  this  interesting  narrative.  "  Words 
are  things,"  said  the  fiery  Mirabeau  in  the  wild 
French  Assembly.  This  statement  is  true  of 
Gideon's  name.  It  means  ''  feller,"  "  hewer,"  or 
"destroyer.'  He  was  chosen  of  God  for  his 
noble  mission.  Amid  the  poor,  or  at  least  weak, 
clans  of  western  Manasseh,  was  that  descended 
from  Abi-ezer  ;  but  among  these  households  that 
of  Joa.sh  held  a  prominent  place.  All  his  .sons 
were  brave  and  noble,  "  each  like  the  .son  of  a 
king."  All  except  the  youngest  .son,  (iideon, 
had  fallen  on  Mount  Tabor  in  the  many  fights 
with  the  fierce  Midianite.s.  Unexpectedly  did 
this  great  champion  of  Israel  arise  in  the  mid- 
night hour  of  Israel's  liope.  Already  he  was 
known  both  to  the  Israelites  and  to  their  ene- 
mies as  a  mighty  hero.  The  "  trce-feller  "  was 
also  a  "man-feller"  ;  and  many  a  Midianite  had 
already  felt  the  strength  of  the  arm  of  this 
"  mighty  man  of  valor."  His  home  and  fields 
were  at  Ophrah,  and  here  the  invaders  encoun- 
tered his  strong  arm  and  brave  household.     He 


\  'I 


)\: 


FOUNTAIN   OF   (ilDEON 


239 


was  modestly  at  work,  like  many  other  truly 
j^reat  men,  when  he  received  his  call  to  hi<(her 
duti(  s  and  nobler  endeavors. 

(liileon  was  threshin.LC  wheat  with  a  flail  in  the 
winei)Vess  in  order  that  he  nii<^ht  the  better  con- 
ceal tlie  ^rain  from  the  tyrants.  In  the  wine- 
press he  would  be  less  exposed  to  the  notice  of 
the  invaders,  and  the  flail  falling  on  the  grain 
placed  perhaps  on  the  ground  itself  would  make 
less  noise  than  if  it  were  on  a  boarded  tl<  or. 
There  would  be  danger  tliat  the  enemies  miglit 
hear  the  bellowing  of  the  oxen,  if  they  had  been 
used  to  thresh  the  grain.  The  angel  of  the 
Lord  immediately  said  to  him,  "  Jehovah  is  with 
thee,  thou  mighty  man  of  valor."  This  address 
seemed  not  only  startling  but  ironical  to  Gideon, 
when  he  considered  the  depressed  state  of  his 
people.  He  therefore  replied,  ''O  my  Lord,  if 
Jehovah  be  with  us,  why  then  is  all  this  evil  be- 
fallen us?  and  where  be  all  his  miracles  which 
our  fathers  told  us  of,  saying  :  Did  not  Jehovah 
bring  us  up  from  Egypt  ?  but  now  Jehovah  has 
forsaken  us  and  delivered  us  into  the  hands  of 
the  Midianites."  We  can  well  understand  how 
Gideon  came  to  speak  in  a  tc>ne  so  despondent. 
The  answer  came  :  "Go  in  this  thy  might,  and 
thou  shalt  save  Israel  from  the  hands  of  the 
IMidianites.  Have  not  I  sent  thee?"  Gideon 
still  expressed  his  doubt ;  but  he  was  met  with 
this  divine  promise :  "  Surely  I  vill  be  with 
thee,  and  thou  shalt  smite  the  Midianites  as  one 
man."  The  assurance  that  God  is  with  him  is 
all  that  he  needs.     A  miracle  finally  entirely  re- 


240 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


I 


m 


moved  his  distrust,  and  inspired  his  heart  with 
hope  and  assured  liini  of  God's  presence  and 
help  in  all  his  nndertakin<;s.  This  miracle  is  in 
itself  deeply  interesting^,  (iideon  at  once  under- 
took to  present  the  an<;el  with  a  kid  and  un- 
leavened cakes.  These  he  laid  upon  the  rock, 
and  the  supernatural  visitor  touched  the  offer- 
inj^ns  with  the  tip  of  his  stafT,  and  immediately  a 
fire  arose  out  of  the  rock  and  consumed  them  ; 
and  thus  the  meal  immediately  became  a  sacri- 
fice. The  angel  then  departed  and  (iideon  was 
filled  with  holy  awe  because  he  had  seen  an 
angel  of  the  Lord  face  to  face.  The  heavenly 
visitant  gave  him  a  word  of  benediction,  and 
Gideon  built  an  altar,  calling  it  Jehovah-shalom. 
A  new  era  dawned  upon  (iideon  and  the  peo- 
ple of  God.  Striking  is  the  language  employed 
to  describe  Ciideon's  preparation  for  this  heroic 
and  patriotic  ser^•lce  ;  we  are  told  that  the  Spirit 
of  Jehovah  clctlied  him.  This  statement  means 
that  he  was  filled  ftilly,  possessed  entirely,  by  the 
Spirit  of  God.  Being  thus  clothed  "  he  waxed 
valiant  in  fight,"  and  was  thus  enabled  to  *'  turn 
to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens."  Wlien  the 
Spirit  of  God  comes  in  abundant  measure  upon 
men  they  are  able  to  perform  heroic  deeds,  and 
to  achieve  sublime  results.  We  are  not  now  sur- 
prised to  read  that  Gideon  blew  the  war  trumpet 
through  his  own  clan  of  Abi-ezer,  and  also  that 
messengers  were  sent  through  the  northern  tribes 
and  they  joyfully  obeyed  the  patriotic  summons. 
All  was  now  ready  for  a  great  deliverance ;  but 
Gideon  felt  the  need  of  a  divine  token  to  assure 


FOUNTAIN    OK   GIDEON 


241 


liini  of  God's  presence  and  blessinjr.  God  con- 
descended to  strengthen  his  faitli  by  a  donble 
sign,  tlie  wet  fleece  and  the  dry,  of  the  divine 
presence.  One  wonders  at  Gideon's  demand 
that  God  shonld  give  liini  this  token  ;  liis  con- 
dnct  seems  presnmptnons,  after  God  had  given  a 
definite  promise  ;  but  in  passing  judgment  upon 
this  demand  of  Gideon  we  must  have  constantly 
in  view  the  necessities  of  his  position.  We  now 
see  tlie  gathering  of  the  clans,  we  hear  the  blast 
of  the  trumpets,  and  we  are  ready  for  the  aj)- 
proaching  clash  of  arms. 

Gideon's  career  was  a  campaign  rather  than  a 
battle,  a  campaign  which  divides  itself  into  three 
parts.  No  fewer  than  thirty-two  thousand  men 
answered  Gideon's  call.  He,  however,  pro- 
claimed through  the  host  that  all  who  were 
faint-hearted  were  free  to  depart  and  to  our 
astonishment,  and,  as  we  might  well  suppose, 
to  his  dismay,  no  fewer  than  twenty-two  thou- 
sand withdrew.  But  even  the  ten  thousand 
still  remaining  were  too  many.  A  strange 
method  did  Gideon  employ  to  test  the  spirit  of 
his  soldiers.  Here  was  a  "copious  spring,  the 
spring  of  Trembling,"  flowing  through  the  basin 
from  under  a  huge  rock,  forming  a  pool  of  pure 
water,  and  to  it  his  soldiers  were  brought  that  he 
might  once  more  test  their  wisdom  and  their 
self-restraint.  Only  those  who  lapped  the  water 
with  their  hands,  as  men  do  who  are  in  haste, 
were  considered  worthy  to  be  retained  in  the 
army,  and  all  those  who  lay  down  and  leisurely 
drank  were  excluded.     Dr.  Smith,  to  whom  I 

Q 


iW 


M 


242 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    I,KCTURES 


have  several  times  alluded,  gives  a  somewhat 
new  interpretation  of  the  conduct  of  thes;-  men, 
and  of  the  significance  of  the  act  of  lapping. 
After  calling  attention  to  the  well  of  Harod,  as 
being  some  fifteen  feet  broad  and  two  feet  deep, 
and  as  sending  forth  a  stream  sufficieKt  to  work 
several  mills,  he  goes  on  to  say  that  the  enemy 
might  have  been  hidden  in  the  reeds  and  shrubs 
standing  around  the  spring,  as  they  afforded 
ample  cover  for  hostile  ambushes.  The  soldiers, 
therefore,  who  bowed  themselves  leisurely  on 
their  knees  to  drink  were  in  that  attitude  ex- 
posed to  the  enemy  who  might  be  waiting  in 
ambush.  This  act  of  these  soldiers  showed  that 
they  did  not  appreciate  the  possible  position  of 
their  foe,  or  their  own  possible  danger.  But  the 
brave  three  hundred,  who  merely  stooped  and 
then  lapped  up  the  water  with  one  hand,  holding 
their  weapons  in  the  other  hand  and  keeping 
their  face  to  the  foe,  showed  that  they  had  clear 
heads  as  well  as  brave  hearts,  and  were  ready 
against  all  surprises  of  the  enemy.  He  sums  up 
this  thought  by  suggesting  that  it  was  a  test  of 
the  attitude  toward  the  foe  which  it  was  most 
suitable  for  Gideon  to  make.  He  contemplated 
a  night  march  and  a  sudden  suiprise ;  he  there- 
fore needed  soldiers  who  could  show  common 
sense  and  exercise  constant  vigilance,  as  did  the 
three  hundred  at  the  water.  For  only  such 
caiition  would  render  his  tactics  successful. 

These  two  modes  of  drinking  are  still  common 
in  the  East.  Orientals  become  amazingly  dex- 
terous in  drinking  by  the  use  of  the  hands  ;  they 


''  I  i 


'1 


FOUNTAIN    OF    GIDKON 


243 


til 

I 


I 


I 


throw  the  water  into  the  month  before  the  hand 
is  bron^ht  close  to  it,  so  that  the  hand  brings  a 
fresh  snpply  before  the  preceding  orie  has  been 
swallowed.  The  original  word  for  "  lai)peth," 
yalok^  is  precisel}-  the  sound  which  a  dog  makes 
in  drinking. 

The  entire  number  of  soldiers  was  row  re- 
duct. ^  to  three  hundred.  Was  Gideon  to  l^e 
pitied.'*  One  might  so  affirm;  but  God  had 
said  :  ''  By  the  three  hundred  men  that  lapped 
will  I  save  you,  and  deliver  the  Tvlidianites  into 
thine  hand."  God  cares  for  quality  more  than 
quantity.  When  God  makes  bare  his  arm,  a  few 
men  become  mightier  than  many  thousands 
without  his  immediate  presence  and  benediction. 
Only  a  slight  difference  marked  the  conduct  of 
the  rejected  and  the  accepted  soldiers  ;  but  that 
slight  difference  indicated  an  important  distinc- 
tion between  these  two  classes.  We  may  expect 
that  Gideon  soon  would  achie\e  victories  for 
God's  Israel  and  for  Israel's  God. 

Encouragement  from  God. — At  this  criti- 
cal moment  Gideon  needed  and  received  another 
encouragement  from  God.  At  this  moment  the 
jMidianites  and  Amalekites,  and  all  the  children 
of  the  East,  lay  sleeping  in  the  valley,  like  grass- 
hoppers for  multitude  ;  and  their  camels,  accord- 
ing to  the  Scripture  narrative,  were  without 
number,  as  the  sand  by  the  seaside  for  multitude. 
How  may  Gideon  attempt  to  overconit  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  thousand  of  these  dashii:g  war- 
riors with  three  hundred  men?     God  recognizes 


» 1' 


244 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    LECTURES 


\ 


Ml'     r 


I 


I    u 


tlie  necessity  of  interposing]^  for  the  encourag-e- 
nient  of  his  noble  servant.  Yonder  in  the  val- 
ley beneath  sleep  the  hosts  of  Midian  ;  God  com- 
mands Gideon  to  <;o  down  nnto  the  host,  taking 
his  servant  Plinrah  with  him  ;  and  God  accom- 
panied the  command  by  the  promise  that  he  had 
delivered  Midian  into  Gideon's  power.  We  now 
see  Gideon  and  Phnrah  goin<r  stealthily  down  to 
the  sleeping  host.  The  darkness  of  night  has 
come  down  alike  npon  the  invaders  and  the  in- 
vaded. Under  cover  of  the  night  Gideon  and 
his  armor-bearer  reach  the  ontskirts  of  the  tents; 
deep  silence  reigns  over  the  encampment.  Like 
all  Arabian  armies,  this  army  had  no  sentinels. 
One  of  the  sleeping  Arabs  awakes ;  a  dream  has 
startled  him.  He  is  telling  that  dream  to  one  of 
his  companions.  How  eagerly  Gideon  and 
Phnrah  listen.  This  dream  meant  ninch  to 
Midian  ;  it  will  mean  mnch  to  Israel.  A  thin 
and  ronnd  cake  of  barley  bread  is  seen  rolling 
into  the  camp.  Mysterions  cake !  jNIarvelons 
dream  !  And  now  the  cake  reaches  the  royal 
tent  in  the  center  of  the  encampment,  and  head- 
long the  tent  falls  npon  the  gronnd.  So  spake 
the  awakened  Arab  ;  so  heard  the  anxions  and 
delighted  (lideon.  The  Arab  affirms  that  it 
meant  nothing  else  save  "the  sword  of  Gideon, 
the  son  of  Joash."  Gratefnl  Gideon,  he  bows 
himself  in  thankfnlness  to  the  gronnd,  and  then 
dashes  off  up  the  mountain-side  with  a  glad 
heart ;  he  returns  to  his  three  companies  at  their 
posts. 

Neat  midnight  the  signal  was  given,  and  three 


iree 


FOUNTAIN    OF   GIDEON 


245 


I 


I 


5j 


h 


li 


i 


6 


hundred  torches  flashed  c...  on  the  darkness  of 
the  nio^ht.  Never  were  stilhiess  and  darkness 
more  suddenly  disturbed.  Three  hundred  pitch- 
ers crasli  ;  three  hundred  men  shout  until  the 
midnij^ht  air  resounds  as  if  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands instead  of  three  hundred  soldiers  were 
makinjj^  an  onset !  And  the  stirring  war  cry, 
"for  Jehovah  and  for  (iideon,"  breaks  upon  the 
stillness  of  the  midnight  air!  Tlie  Arabs  break 
camp,  rush  hither  and  thither  in  the  darkness 
and  confusion,  uttering  the  wild  cries  peculiar  to 
their  race.  Kvery  man  drew  his  sword  against 
his  fellow.  The  vast  multitude  poured  in  hope- 
less confusion  down  the  valley  toward  the  ford 
of  Jordan  ;  their  aim  was  to  cross  the  river  at 
Bethabara,  but  Ciideon  would  not  permit  them 
to  escape. 

"  F\\iNT,  YRT  Pursuing." — We  come  to  what 
was  really  a  second  battle  ;  for  the  Ivphraimites 
were  now  aroused,  and  that  great  tribe  seized 
the  ford  and  cut  off  the  fugitives.  The  two 
greater  chiefs  had  crossed  the  river  before  the 
Hphraimites  arrived,  but  Oreb  and  Zeel),  the 
lesser  chiefs,  were  caught  and  slain.  "  Faint, 
yet  pursuing,"  dashed  Gideon  and  his  brave 
three  hundred  after  the  retreating  enemy. 

At  Succoth  and  Penuel  Gideon  found  halting- 
places.  Although  two  battles  had  been  won,  a 
third  must  be  fought  and  a  tliird  victor}-  achieved, 
(iideon  now  followed  the  course  of  Zebah  and 
Zalniunna,  the  two  chiefs  who  had  been  over  all 
the  host,  Vv'ith  flying  steps,  and  pursued  them  in 


"iiiP 


<' 


■i. 


< 


I 


i 


li^ 


1 


\f 


1 


M 


./ 


!| 


■^1 


M^ 


M 


246 


SUNDAY    NICHT    LECTURES 


their  rapid  flight.  Shall  he  overtake  thciii  ? 
Shall  the  victories  won  be  followed  by  another 
triumph?  On,  on,  far  into  the  desert  rushed 
Gideon  and  his  brave  followers,  and  at  dis- 
lant  Karkor  he  overtook  the  fljiuj^  Arab  host. 
There  the  renniant  of  their  army  had  encamped 
in  fancied  security.  Gideon  immediately  resolved 
to  surprise  them  by  a  rapid  detour.  In  his  plans 
he  was  eminently  successful,  and  suddenly  fall- 
injT;-  upon  them  from  the  east,  he  utterly  routed 
them,  and  by  sunrise  he  was  marchin_^-  in  triumph 
on  his  wav  back  to  the  Jordan.  Never  was  a 
victory  more  complete.  The  day  of  INIidian, 
"  with  its  confused  noise,  and  its  crarments  rolled 
in  blood,"  remained  ever  after  as  the  emblem  of 
complete  destruction  of  the  foes  of  Israel.  Not 
only  Isaiah,  but  the  author  of  the  eiohty-third 
Psalm  speaks  in  stirring  language  of  this  great 
triumph.  He  represents  the  enemy  driven  over 
the  uplands  of  Gilead  like  the  chaff  blown  from 
the  threshing-floor,  and  like  the  dry  weeds  before 
the  fierce  flames  on  ^he  mountains. 

So  magnificent  w  is  Gideon's  triumph  that  he 
rose  at  once  to  the  iiighest  honors  which  the 
tribe  could  confer.  It  was  their  intention  to 
crown  him  as  king,  but  he  was  humble  as  heroic  ; 
he  was  modest  as  brave.  Few  men  could  have 
been  more  fit  for  the  honor  of  roval  rank.  His 
very  appearance  was  kingly,  but  he  earnestly  re- 
fused the  proffered  crown. 

LRvSSONvS  for  To-day. — God  gives  us  at  times 
opportunities  for  doing  great   things   for  him. 


!      N 


Fol^NtAtN   OF  GinKON 


1,1.            r  ■■ 

t 

'7, 

LlL-.ii 

■^   /    '              v 

r 

V    . 

247 

Hdppy  di*C  We  \viieii  Ivc  rccoo;iiize  our  oppor- 
tunity and  discharoe  our  oblij>-ation.  Again, 
God  can  work  with  few  as  with  many  ;  he  re- 
gards character  more  than  numbers.  Unfortu- 
nately a  small  percentage  in  all  our  churches  do 
the  work  ;  but  few  are  ready  to  respond  to  the 
blast  of  the  trumpet  for  battle  against  the  devil 
and  all  forms  of  evil.  Many  soldiers  are  heroic 
in  sluim  battles  and  on  parade  day  ;  but  when 
war  really  comes,  thousands  are  faint-hearted, 
and  other  thousands  are  self-indulgent,  and  still 
others  lack  common  sense.  Many  are  skulking 
in  the  rear,  some  are  sulking  in  their  tents, 
while  an  undue  proportion  are  in  hospitals  or 
in  ambulances.  If  tlie  test  were  applied  to 
churches  to-day,  perhaps  as  great  a  proportion  as 
in  the  army  of  Gideon  would  be  unfit  for  battle. 
Once  more  the  trumpet  sounds,  summoning  us 
to  the  conflict.  Hosts  of  Midianites  and  Anialek- 
ites  in  the  form  of  social,  political,  and  personal 
evils  are  all  about  us.  Let  us  sound  the  cry, 
"  For  God  and  native  land,"  and  rouse  ourselves 
for  duty.  Let  us,  here  and  now,  consecrate  our- 
selves afresh  to  Christ  and  to  his  church  ;  but 
let  us  determine  to  undertake  nothing  in  our 
own  strength.  We  are  unable  alone  to  cope 
with  our  terrible  foes  ;  but  let  us  shrink  from  no 
duty  to  which  we  are  clearly  called  of  God. 
God  will  permit  us  to  test  him  with  the  fleece  ; 
and  God  will  give  us  encouragement  by  con- 
fessions of  weakness  from  the  foe,  as  Gideon  was 
encouraged  by  the  dream  regarding  the  cake  of 
barley  bread. 


248 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LiTTURKS 


Let  lis  doubt  nothing  when  God  promises  us 
his  help.  Forward,  O  church  of  the  living  God. 
Let  us  no  longer  sing,  "  hold  the  fort,"  but  let 
;is  shout,  "storm  the  fort."  And  let  us,  when 
the  victory  is  won,  take  no  glory  to  ourselves, 
but  give  it  all  unto  God.  God  must  strip  us  of 
pride  that  he  may  use  us  for  work.  May  the 
God  of  Gideon  be  our  God,  our  portion,  our  all, 
henceforth  and  for  evermore.     Amen. 


I  i. 


h  I 


I 't 


ii  ii 


ri, 


us 

od. 

let 

len 

^es, 

of 
the 
ill, 


I 


XXIII 

MOUNT   GILBOA    AND    ITS    BATTLE 

A/r  ANY  noted  events  occurred  in  this  inime- 
IVX      diate   vicinity.      Indeed,   we  are   in  the 
very  heart  of  historical  facts  of  thrilling  inter- 
est.     1  hey  occupy  a  large   place  in   the  Bible 
nZTZ""'''}  o  t\^^  ratings  of  Bible  expositors. 
1  he  battle  of  Saul  with  the  Philistines,  because 
ot  tiie  dramatic  events  themselves  and  because 
of  the  death  of  Saul  and  his  three  sons,  and  be- 
cause  of  the  relation  of  the  battle  to  the  historv 
ot  Israel,  is  worthy  of  a  prominent  place  in  our 
discussion  of   these  places  which  now  we  are 
visiting.     One  can  ride  in  a  few  hours  to  all  the 
more  prominent  places  mentioned  in  these  dra- 
matic histories. 

Very  nearly  on  the  same  ground  as  that  on 
which  the  brave  Gideon  had  gathered  his  armies, 
strong  ,n  the  Lord  and   in  the  power  of  his 
niiRht,      near    the    fountain    of    Jezreel,    Saul 
pitched    his    cam,..     The    Philistines    were   en- 
camped yonder  at   Shuncni.     The  armies  were 
in  full  sight  of  each  other.     Tlic  spirit  of  Saul 
sankwithin  liim  :  his  lieart  grentlv  trembled  at 
the  sight  of  the    ]osf  of  the  Philistines.      It  was 
he  great  crisis  In  liis  life;  he  had    long  been 
falling  from  God  and  from  his  earlier  and  nobler 

249 


250 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURKS 


self.  Tlie  end  was  now  near.  The  measure  of 
his  iniquity  was  ahnost  full ;  he  was  rushin<j^ 
rapidly  to  his  terrible  doom.  One's  heart  o^rows 
tender  as  the  contrast  between  Saul  of  the  earlier 
day  is  made  with  Saul  now  standing  on  the  ed^e 
of  his  fearful  fate. 


'.'  f.    ' 


< 


i 


m 


Battle  of  Mount  Gilboa. — The  Israelites 
had  long  kept  the  Philistines  under  control ;  but 
they  were  now  restless  and  determined  to  strike 
a  decisive  blow.  The  Israelites  were  usually 
victorious  in  the  hills.  They  were  like  the 
Highlanders  of  Scotland,  well-nigh  unconquer- 
able amid  the  fastnesses  of  the  lofty  hills  and  in- 
accessible rocks.  So  were  certain  of  the  Span- 
ish, or  rather  Gothic,  people  when  vSpain  was 
invaded  by  the  Moors ;  so  were  the  Basque 
people  in  Spain  against  all  invaders.  Tlie  Is- 
raelites were,  as  a  rule,  very  unwilling  to  risk  a 
battle  with  the  Philistines  on  the  plain  ;  there 
the  Philistine  chariots  could  move  freely,  and 
before  their  iiained  warriors,  the  Israelites  when 
fighting  in  the  plain  had  little  chance  of  victory. 
This  fact  they  knew  well  ;  the  Philistines  knev/ 
it  well  also.  The  Philistines,  therefore,  deter- 
mined to  gather  all  their  strength  and  force  a 
great  battle  in  the  historic  plain  of  Esdraelon. 
Near  the  town  of  Shunem,  on  the  southern  slope 
of  the  range  known  as  the  hill  of  Moreh,  they 
pitched  their  camp.  On  the  rise  of  ]\Iount  Gil- 
boa,  as  already  stated,  and  nearly  opposite,  was 
the  army  of  Israel.  Memories  of  noble  Gideon 
encamped  on  nearly  the  samr  spot,  may  have 


J  1 


MOUNT   GII.HOA   AND    ITS   BATTLK         25I 


of 


been  present  to  Sanl  and  other  leaders  of  the 
hosts  of  Israel.  Perhaps,  also,  the  name  "sprinj^ 
of  Harod,"  "  sprin<^  of  Trenil)lin<^'^,"  may  have 
seemed  prophetic  of  evil ;  at  least  this  much 
seems  to  be  implied  when  it  said,  as  already 
quoted  of  Saul,  "  his  heart  trembled  exceed- 
ingly." 

Saul's  Evil  Case. — Once  there  was  a  de- 
cided break  between  Saul  and  Jonathan  ;  but 
Jonathan  finally  cast  in  his  lot  witli  his  father 
when  the  great  crisis  in  his  history  came.  lie 
was  with  his  lather  in  his  decline,  and  "  in  death 
they  were  not  divided."  On  the  hills  of  Judah 
Saul  and  David  parted.  He  no  longer  had 
Samuel  with  whom  he  might  advise.  Samuel 
was  dead.  David  was  estranged.  God  was  dis- 
pleased. In  former  years  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
had  aroused  Saul,  but  now  that  Spirit  had  de- 
parted. There  was  now  no  harp  of  the  shepherd 
psalmist  to  drive  away  the  spirit  of  brooding 
melancholy  which  was  settling  on  his  spirit. 
The  Lord  answered  him  not.  No  answer  was 
vouchsafed  in  vision  or  dream.  The  Urim  and 
Thummim  gave  out  no  message.  He  was  alone 
in  his  camp.  The  Philistines  were  encamped 
yonder  and  near.  Terrible  fears  filled  his  soul. 
Heaven  and  earth  were  silent.  Suspense  was 
unbearable.  If  he  cannot  get  a  voice  from 
heaven,  perhaps  he  can  get  one  from  hell. 

In  a  fit  of  religious  zeal,  and  perhaps  as  an 
atonement  for  neglect  of  duty  in  other  respects, 
he  had  put  out  of  the  land  the  wizards,  necro- 


252 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


,  »  i     ^ 


I     •• 


inaiicers,  and  familiar  spirits.  But  now  forsaken 
of  God  and  of  David,  and  Samuel  being  dead, 
he  turned  to  the  class  of  impostors  who  were 
supposed  to  be  driven  from  the  land  by  his  own 
decree.  His  more  intelligent  religious  zeal  now 
became  dark  and  desperate  superstition.  What 
shall  he  do  in  this  fearful  crisis?  On  yonder 
ridge  the  Philistines  are  encamped,  and  on  the 
otlier  side  of  ihe  ridge  was  Hndor,  meaning, 
''  the  spring  of  Dor."  There  amid  rocks  on 
that  wild  mountain  side  dwelt  a  solitary  woman. 
For  some  reason,  family  or  perhaps  political, 
she  was  spared  when  others  of  her  class  were 
banished.  Three  unknown  guests  now  pressed 
their  way  to  the  weird  abode  of  this  strange 
woman.  They  made  their  way  under  cover  of 
darkness.  They  were  Saul  and  two  attendants. 
The  journey  was  perilous ;  the  night  was  dark. 
But  it  was  darker  in  Saul's  soul ;  "  the  horror  of 
great  darkness  "  was  upon  him. 

Jewisli  tradition  tells  us  that  his  companions 
were  Abner  and  Amasa.  They  went  to  this 
woman  to  ask  her  to  wake  the  dead  Samuel  from 
the  world  of  shades.  We  can  trace  the  road 
which  they  must  have  taken.  They  crossed  the 
plain,  went  round  the  left  flank  of  the  enemy, 
climbed  the  ridge  of  Little  Hermon,  and  then 
went  down  a  somewhat  steep  descent  to  Endor, 
where  the  strange  woman  abode.  Let  us  follow 
them,  so  far  as  the  details  in  the  sacred  narra- 
tive will  permit.  W^e  must  confess  that  the 
account  is  not  very  distinct,  but  we  see  and  hear 
enough  to  make  the  occasion  weird  indeed.    See 


^U:% 


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f\   1 


MOUNT  GIUBOA   AND   I'id  BATTLE 


253 


tlic  three  men  approach!  Hear  the  shriek  (»f 
surprise  when  the  woman  saw  Samuel  !  Behold 
the  venerable  fij^ure  risin*^  from  the  e^irth.  See 
the  majesty,  almost  lil  c  a  j^^od's,  in  his  appear- 
ance !  His  head  is  \  uik-d  in  his  saered  mantle. 
His  countciiance  is  di  quieted,  his  (  pression  is 
threatening.  ( )nce  Spniiul  and  Saul  met  at  a 
feast  in  Ramah,  \vith  j>  v  and  rejoicing.  Then 
Saul  was  the  chosen  and  goodly  )Muth  to  whom 
"there  was  none  like  amonj^  the  people."  Now 
all  is  chanjTcd.  Ikhold  him  now  when  he  hears 
the  prophet's  judj^ment,  as  he  fell  and  lay  "  the 
whole  length  of  his  gigantic  statuie  upon  the 
earth,  and  was  sore  afraid  and  there  was  no 
strength  left  in  him." 

Terrible  were  the  words  which  he  heard.  The 
proud  and  reckless,  the  anointed  and  yet  the 
fallen  Saul  heard  his  death-knell  echoing  from 
the  world  of  spirits.  These  were  the  fearful 
words  which  he  heard  :  "  To-morrow  shalt  thou 
and  thy  sons  be  with  me  ;  the  Lord  also  shall 
deliver  the  host  of  Israel  into  the  hands  of  the 
Philistines."  Terrible  words  are  these  !  See 
the  three  men  with  this  awful  news  pressing 
their  way  back  to  the  camp.  How  heavy  a  load 
Saul  had  in  his  heart ;  how  terrible  must  the 
rest  of  the  night  have  been  !  How  he  must 
have  longed  for  and  yet  dreaded  the  breaking  of 
the  day !  The  day  dawned.  The  Philistines 
soon  poured  down  the  valley.  Yes,  I  can  clearly 
see,  standing  here,  where  they  marched.  The 
Bible  account  of  the  battle  is  broken  ;  we  get 
only  glimpses  of   the   fearful    day   for   doomed 


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33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

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254 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


IS  .1 


i'' 


;  -a 


Saul  and  smitten  Israel.  We  can,  however, 
almost  see  the  showers  of  arrows  from  the  Phil- 
istine archers.  We  can  see  the  Philistine  char- 
ioteers press  the  Israelites  hard  even  up  the 
mountain  side.  Finally  the  Israelites  are  forced 
up  tlie  slopes  of  Gilboa.  Some  of  the  fugitives 
are  driven  down  the  valley  to  the  Jordan,  but 
the  fiercest  fighting  is  on  the  heights  of  Gilboa. 
On  the  "  high  places  of  Gilboa,"  tlieir  own 
chosen  fighting  ground,  "  the  pride  of  Israel  was 
slain."  The  final  conflict  took  place  "  on  the 
green  strip  which  breaks  the  slope  of  the  moun- 
tain upland  as  it  rises  from  the  fertile  plain." 

Listen  to  the  clash  of  arms  !  Hear  the  shouts 
of  the  victorious  and  the  groans  of  the  dying ! 
Where  are  Saul  and  his  three  sons  during  the 
fierce  fight?  See  them  emerge  from  the  dark- 
ness of  the  remote  time  and  the  vague  story. 
Read  the  words  of  Scripture :  "  And  the  battle 
went  sore  against  Saul,  and  the  archers  hit  him ; 
and  he  was  sore  wounded  of  the  archers."  Look 
again.  His  three  sons  have  fallen  before  him. 
Oh,  brave  and  beautiful  Jonathan  !  Saul's  body 
is  wounded  ;  his  soul  is  in  great  darkness  and  de- 
spair. But  on  his  head  is  the  royal  crown,  and 
on  his  arm  the  royal  bracelet.  His  shield  is 
stained  with  blood,  and  is  cast  away  as  no  longer 
needed.  But  in  his  hand  is  the  huge  spear. 
There  is  grandeur  in  Saul  even  now.  He  is 
smitten  with  death  ;  he  seeks  death,  but  he  can- 
not at  once  die.  If  captured  he  will  be  made 
the  sport  and  mock  of  the  victorious  Philistines. 
He  begs  his  armor-bearer  to  thrust  him  through  ; 


w4 


MOUNT   GILBOA    AND    ITS    BATTLE         255 


but  this  last  boon  is  denied  him.  Soon,  stained 
with  blood  and  wild  with  despair,  he  will  be  in  the 
hands  of  his  foes.  This  thought  he  cannot  bear. 
He  leans  heavily  on  his  spear.  The  dizziness 
and  darkness  of  deaili  are  now  coming  on  him. 
He  fixed  his  sword  in  the  blood-stained  ground 
and  with  the  energy  of  despair  falls  heavily  upon 
it.  A  wild  Amalekite,  lured  to  the  field  in  the 
hope  of  spoil,  came  up  and  completed  the  work 
begun  by  the  arrows  of  the  Philistines,  and  con- 
tinued by  Saul's  own  sword.  So  perished  Saul, 
the  first  king  of  Israel.  The  next  day  the  corpses 
of  Saul  and  his  three  sons  were  found  by  the 
Philistines. 

David  in  his  lament  sang  truly  :  "  The  beauty 
of  Israel  is  slain  in  thy  high  places."  The 
bitterness  of  defeat  and  death  was  all  the 
greater  because  the  Israelites  were  not  slain  on 
the  hostile  plain,  but  on  their  own  familiar  and 
belov^ed  high  places.  Looking  iip  at  the  barren 
brow  of  Gilboa  as  we  ride  past  it  would  seem  as 
if  David's  words  were  predictive  and  had  been 
fulfilled  :  "  Ye  mountains  of  Gilboa,  let  there  be 
no  dew,  neither  It  there  be  rain,  upon  you,  nc. 
fields  of  offerings :  for  there  the  shield  of  the 
mighty  is  vilely  cast  away,  the  shield  of  Saul, 
as  though  he  had  not  been  anointed  with  oil."  ' 

It  is  well-nigh  impossible  to  exaggerate  the 
defeat  which  Israel  sustained.  We  have  seen 
that  Israel  was  driven  back  to  Gilboa,  pursued 
up  the  hills,  and  utterly  routed.     It  was  impos- 


'   2   Sam.    I  :  21. 


256 


SUNDAY   NIGHT    LKCTURES 


tf ; «. 


sibie  that  it  could  have  bf  ^n  otherwise.  Saul 
was  paralyzed  by  his  sad  forebodings  and  by  the 
divination  of  the  "  mistress  of  the  Ob."  Al- 
though tliey  fought  b.avely  all  day,  defeat  was 
as  inevitable  as  it  was  terrible.  We  have  seen 
that  Saul  would  not  flee,  and  that  he  would  not 
allow  himself  to  be  taken.  The  flower  of  the 
youth  of  Israel  lay  dead,  and  the  king's  body- 
guard also  was  in  the  darkness  of  death  on  the 
slopes  of  Gilboa.  There  was  joy  unspeakable  in 
the  Philistine  cities.  All  the  Hebrew  towns  in 
the  great  plain  of  Hsdraelon  were  deserted  of 
their  population,  and  were  occupied  by  the  Phil- 
istines. They  were  masters  of  the  whole  cara- 
van route,  to  possess  which  they  began  the  war. 
They  might  well  give  themselves  up  to  rejoic- 
ing ;  nothing  could  be  more  satisfactory  to  them 
than  was  the  condition  of  Israel.  The  Philis- 
tines marched  south  and  west  and  took  posses- 
sion of  all  the  towns,  which  they  destroyed. 
They  came  to  Gibeah,  Saul's  own  mountain 
village,  and  their  presence  brought  a  new  terror 
and  another  misfortune  to  the  royal  house.  The 
Prince  Mephibosheth  was  then  a  boy  of  five. 
He  was  on  the  shoulders  of  his  nurse.  She 
heard  the  report  of  the  terrible  defeat  and  of  the 
approach  of  the  dreaded  Philistines.  In  her 
haste  to  seek  a  place  of  safety  she  stumbled  and 
fell  on  the  rocks.  The  unfortunate  boy  was 
thrown  from  her  shoulder  and  he  received  a 
blow  which  resulted  in  the  lameness  of  both  his 
feet  during  his  lifetime.  He  was  then  carried 
over  the  Jordan,  and  for  long  years  was  under 


MOUNT  GILBOA   AND   ITS   BATTLK 


257 


the  care  of  a  Gilcadite  chieftain  named  Machir. 
He  afterward  received  distingnished  kindness 
from  David  for  the  sake  of  his  father,  the  be- 
loved Jonathan. 

The  Philistines,  as  we  have  seen,  were  now 
masters  of  the  whole  country.    At  Saul's  corona- 
tion they  owned  but  a  small  part  of  the  terri- 
tory ;  at  Saul's  death  they  practically  owned  it 
all.     There  seemed  no   possibility  of  resisting 
their  firm  possession  and  their  long  continuance 
in  the  land.     We  shall   see  how   tiie   men   of 
Jabesh-gilead  came  across  the  Jordan,  mindful  of 
a  former  deliverance  from  Nahash  by  Saul,  and 
took  down  his  body  from  the  wall  of  Bethshan 
and  gave  it  honorable  burial.     We  see  here,  as 
everywhere,  how  terrible  it  is  to  disobey  God, 
and   to  incur  his  deserved  punishment.     As  I 
rode  along  the  valley  and  gazed  upon   Mount 
Gilboa,  the  memories  of  Saul,  of  his  brave  and 
heroic  son  Jonathan,  and  of  his  other  sons,  was 
vivid  and  instructive.     Again  I  seemed  to  hear 
the  pathetic  and  poetic  words  at  the  close  of 
David's  matchless  elegy  :  "  How  are  the  mighty 
fallen  in  the  midst  of  the  battle  !     O  Jonathan, 
thou  wast  slain  in  thine  high  places.     I  am  dis- 
tressed for  thee,  my  brother  Jonathan  ;  very  pleas- 
ant hast  thou  been  unto  me  :  thy  love  to  me  was 
wonderful,  passing  the  love  of  women.    How  are 
the  mighty  fallen,  and  the  weapons  of  war  per- 
ished i "  ^  I' 


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XXIV 

SHUNEM — "  DOUBLE   RESTING-PLACE  " 

WE  have  lingered  for  some  time  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Jezreel.  We  now  make  our  way 
across  the  plain  to  Shunem.  After  recent  rains 
and  in  the  spring-time  the  plain  at  this  point  is 
often  very  swampy.  Soon  we  are  at  the  little 
village  of  Suleni,  the  Shnnem  of  Scripture. 
This  is  a  town  within  the  limits  of  the  tribe  of 
Issachar.  This  village  is  on  the  southwest  slope 
of  Jebel  Duhy,  "  the  hill  of  Moreh."  It  is  six 
miles  south  of  Tabor,  and  ibout  three  and  a  half 
north  of  Jezreel.  It  is  surrounded  by  grain 
fields  and  fruit  gardens.  One  can  look  westward 
across  the  plain  to  Carmel.  It  is  a  much  tidier 
and  more  prosperous  place  than  many  which  we 
have  seen  in  Palestine.  The  villagers  have 
gathered  to  the  threshing-place  of  the  neighbor- 
hood ;  and  the  grain  which  has  been  threshed  is 
piled  up  as  we  approach.  There  is  an  air  of 
bustle  and  industry  here  seldom  seen  in  this 
shiftless  country.  A  thick  hedge  of  the  prickly- 
pear  surrounds  the  village.  There  is  an  attrac- 
tive grove  of  orange,  lemon,  and  citron  trees ; 
and  there  are  grassy  hillocks,  and  through  the 
grove  flows  from  a  spring  a  stream  of  delicious 
water.  By  this  water  we  dismount  and  seat  our- 
258 


SHUNEM— "doUBLK   RKSTING-PLACE  "      259 


selves  on  the  ground  beside  the  stream.  It  is 
approach  in  or  noonday,  and  the  sun  is  liot.  Some 
of  the  villagers,  young  and  old,  come  out  to  look 
at  us,  and  to  earn,  or  at  least  get  in  some  way,  a 
little  backsheesh  from  us.  At  eventide  the  vil- 
lage maidens  come  hither  to  draw  water,  and 
now  they  come  to  offer  water  to  the  travelers. 
It  is  a  cool,  shady,  and  pleasant  spot  to  rest  after 
our  ride,  and  to  think  of  the  biblical  scenes  con- 
nected with  the  name  of  this  comparatively  in- 
dustrious and  thriving  village.  We  are  now 
realizing  the  meaning  of  the  name  Sliunem— 
"double  resting-place."  Sit  with  me  bv  this 
stream,  while  we  pluck  a  lemon  and  make  and 
drink  some  lemonade ;  enjoy  the  brook's  music 
and  the  welcome  shade,  and  take  in  the  historical 
facts  suggested  by  the  name  Shuneni. 

It  was  here  at  Shunem  that  the  Piiilistines 
had  their  encampment  when  Saul  pitched  his 
camp  close  by  the  fountain  of  Jezreel,  and  per- 
haps on  the  very  ground  where  Gideon  gathered 
his  men.  The  armies  of  Saul  and  the  Philistines 
were  in  full  sight  of  each  other.  It  was  then 
that  Saul  became  sore  "afraid,  and  his  heart 
greatly  trembled."  We  have  already  seen  the 
result  of  the  fierce  fight  which  ended  in  the  death 
of  Saul  and  his  three  sons,  and  in  the  defeat  of 
the  Israelites. 

Another  and  pleasanter  incident  is  recalled 

that  of  the  Shunammite  woman,  the  prophet 
Elisha,  and  the  boy  born  and  recovered  to  life 
through  the  intercession  of  God's  prophet.  This 
is  a  sweet,  sad,  natural,  and  beautiful  story  of 


26o 


SUNDAY    NIGHT   LECTURES 


>i 


l>.i  ui 


tlie  olden  time ;  and  all  its  elements  are  wonder- 
fnlly  real  as  we  study  the  natural  scenery  about 
Shunem.  There  is  a  restored  house  at  Shunem 
which  may  be  such  as  this  "  great  woman  "  lived 
in.  Examining  t!  is  house  we  readily  see  how 
the  ''chamber  on  the  wall"  was  constructed. 
This  house  makes  the  present  mud  hovels  seem 
all  the  more  diminutive  and  unattractive. 

Shunem  was  on  the  road  between  Samaria 
and  Carmel,  and  this  was  a  road  which  Elisha 
had  often  to  travel.  In  Shunem  lived  a  woman 
who  was  known  as  a  "  great  woman  "  ;  her  hus- 
band had  a  good  estate  and  they  lived  in  com- 
fort. It  was  impossible  that  a  man  of  the  name 
and  fame  of  Elisha  could  pass  and  repass  with- 
out attracting  the  notice  of  a  family  so  prom- 
inent in  the  town  ;  and  this  pious  matron  de- 
sired him  to  dine  at  her  home.  Elisha  was 
modest  and  humble,  but  finally  he  was  induced 
to  accept  her  invitation,  and  as  often  as  he  passed 
he  enjoyed  her  generous  hospitality.  She  con- 
sulted with  her  liusband  as  to  the  desirability  of 
giving  this  man  of  God  a  room  in  her  house  as 
well  as  a  place  at  her  table.  She  doubted  not 
that  they  would  be  edified  by  his  wholesome  in- 
structions as  well  as  by  his  godly  example. 
Current  report  may  have  taught  her  how  well 
the  widow  of  Sarepta  was  rewarded  for  her  kind- 
ness to  the  prophet  Elijah.  She  seems  to  have 
had  no  spare  room  in  her  house,  or  at  least  none 
sufficiently  private  for  a  guest  who  spent  pre- 
sumably much  time  in  contemplation  and  in 
secret   communion   with  God.     She,  therefore, 


U\ 


SHUNKM — "  DOUBLK    RKSTlNfl-rLACE  "      261 


Iiad  a  little  chamber  constructed  for  him  on  the 
wall.'  It  was  plainly  furnished  ;  it  had  simply 
a  bed,  table,  stool,  and  candlestick.  But  here  he 
might  find  repose  and  opportunity  for  reading, 
thinking,  writing,  and  praying. 

Klisha's  gratitude  for  her  kindness  was  great. 
He  therefore  urged  Gehazi,  his  servant,  to  ascer- 
tain whether  she  wished  to  be  spoken  for  to  the 
king  or  the  captain  of  the  liost  for  an  office,  civil 
or  military,  for  her  husband.  But  she  had  no 
petition  to  present,  no  complaint  to  make,  no 
ambition  to  gratify.  Her  answer  is  full  of  quiet 
dignity,  "I  dwell  among  mine  own  people." 
Later,  as  we  shall  see,  she  had  occasion  to  be 
spoken  for  to  the  king,  but  now  she  has  no  such 
request  to  make.  But  Gehazi  calls  the  attention 
of  Elisha  to  the  fact  that  the  music  of  a  child's 
voice  has  not  been  heard  in  this  home.  Blessed 
in  so  many  ways  as  this  woman  had  been,  this 
joy  has  not  been  experienced  by  this  dwelling. 
If  Elisha  may  not  use  his  influence  on  her  behalf 
in  an  earthly  court,  he  can  offer  his  prayers  for 
her  to  the  court  of  heaven.  Soon  she  stands 
modestly  in  the  presence  of  the  prophet  and 
learns  that  the  birth  of  a  son  would  in  due  time 
gladden  her  home.'^ 

After  the  advent  of  the  boy  the  prophet's  wel- 
come must  have  been  doubly  warm.  To  Elisha 
this  boy  mi:st  have  been  very  dear.  Touching 
is  the  glimpse  which  we  thus  get  into  this  home- 
life,  so  far  removed  from  us  both  in  time  and 


•  2  Kings  4  ;  8-10. 


2  Kings  4  :  i6. 


262 


SUNDAY    NICIIT    LKCTURKS 


P     I 


m  ' 


space.  Three  years  pass.  Tlie  boy  is  prown 
sufficiently  to  j^o  out  with  liis  father  to  the  fields 
where  the  reapers  are  at  work.  The  perils  of 
the  child's  infancy  are  past,  but  not  those  of  his 
boyhood.  He  is  the  joy  of  his  father's  and  his 
mother's  heart  we  may  be  sure,  (ireat  jj^rain 
fields  are  still  there  near  vShunem,  lyin^  on  the 
south  slope  of  Little  Hermon.  Here  this  very 
day  as  we  rode  up  we  saw  little  boys  barcheadecl, 
running  about  in  these  fields.  To-day  also  the 
sun  was  hot ;  so  it  was  on  the  day  when  the  son 
of  the  Shunammite  woman  had  a  sunstroke  in  the 
field  where  the  reapers  worked.  We  can  almost 
hear  his  feeble,  plaintive  cry,'  "  My  head,  my 
head ! "  We  can  see  the  perplexed,  sorrowful, 
anxious,  and  helpless  father,  as  he  said  to  the 
attendant  lad,  "  Carry  him  to  his  mother."  The 
mother's  arms  and  heart  are  the  place  for  a  sick 
boy  or  girl.  Fathers  can  pity  ;  but  mothers  can 
comfort.  God  pity  and  comfort  children  who 
have  no  mother !  Thank  God,  he  offers  to  us  a 
father's  pity  and  a  mother's  comfort.  See  this 
mother  in  tlie  quietness  and  coolness  of  her  home 
as  she  holds  that  sick  boy  in  her  lap  until  noon. 
What  momen.ts  of  anxiety  are  hers.  The  father 
seems  to  have  had  little  conception  of  the  seri- 
ous nature  of  the  boy's  illness ;  he  knew  that 
"  mother "  would  somehow  help ;  that  the  boy 
would  probably  fall  asleep  in  her  arms  and 
awake  refreshed  and  recovered.  How  she  watches 
him  !    How  her  heart  heaves  and  almost  breaks  ! 


'  2  Kings  4  :  19. 


SlIUNKM — "DOl'HI.K    RKSTINCMM.ACK"      263 

Can  it  be  that  this  cliild,  perliaps  of  their  old 
age,  this  cliild  of  prayer,  this  child  of  stich  ten- 
der love,  must  die?  Yes,  he  must  sleep  the 
sleep  of  death.  The  noon  hour  draws  near  ;  his 
strength  is  failing.  It  is  noon  ;  he  is  dead.  Per- 
fectly well  in  the  morning,  he  is  dead  at  noon. 
This  child  of  prayer,  of  promise,  of  love,  is  taken 
away !  How  a  few  hours  may  change  tlic  whole 
course  of  one's  life !  Draw  the  curtain  for  a 
moment  over  the  scene  and  leave  this  mother 
alone  with  her  dead  boy. 

Hkr  Application  to  the  Prophet. — Glance 
again  at  the  brave  mother.  Her  conduct  de- 
serves our  approval.  vShe  utters  no  word  of 
complaint  under  this  terrible  blow.  It  would 
seem  as  if  she  had  a  strong  belief  that  this  child 
should  be  raised  to  life.  She  is  a  true  dau<rhtcr 
of  Abraham's  faith.  Did  she  know  how  Elijah 
had  called  back  to  life  the  son  of  the  widow  of 
Sarepta  ?  She  makes  no  preparation  for  burial. 
God  gave  this  boy  once  as  if  from  the  dead  ;  he 
can  do  so  again.  So  she  seems  to  have  believed, 
and  on  that  belief  she  acted.  Observe  her 
preparations.  It  was  most  fortunate  that  Elisha 
was  at  this  time  visiting  at  Mount  Carmel,  only 
about  ten  miles  away.  She  laid  the  dead  boy  on 
the  bed  of  the  man  of  God,  shut  the  door,  and 
went  out  to  lay  her  plans  to  communicate  with 
the  prophet.  She  is  a  beautifully  self-controlled 
woman.  She  asks  her  husband's  co-operation  in 
her  plan  to  visit  Elisha.  The  husband,  not 
knowing  the  cause  of  her  desire  to  make  the 


264 


SUNDAY   Nir.IlT   LIXTURKS 


visit,  objected.  It  was  neither  tlie  new  moon 
nor  the  Sabbath  ;  liad  it  been  either  he  would 
Jiave  seen  cause  for  tlic  proposed  journey. 

See  tlie  preparations  in  the  saddlinjj  of  the 
fleet  ass,  and  then  the  hasty  journey  across  the 
plain  of  Ksdraelon  to  Klisha  at  Carniel.  We 
can  easily  picture  the  whole  scene,  after  the  lapse 
of  these  thousands  of  years.  What  an  anxious 
journey,  and  yet  what  hope  her  stronpf  faith  gave 
lier  in  the  midst  of  her  sorrow !  Blessed  are 
they  who  can  trust  God  when  the  darkness  is 
deepest !  To  them  evermore  there  ariseth  light 
even  in  the  deepest  sorrow.  See  the  servant 
running  by  her  side,  and  driving  the  ass  at  full 
speed  across  the  plain  ! 

Elisha  sees  her  approaching  and  sends  Gehazi 
to  make  kindly  inquiries ;  but  it  is  not  he  she 
wishes  to  consult.  She,  therefore,  puts  him  off 
with  a  general  but  a  true  answer.  It  was  indeed 
well  with  her,  with  her  husband,  and  with  her 
child.  Here  is  the  answer  of  a  sweet  faith,  a 
faith  powerful  to-day  when  our  beloved  ones  die 
in  the  Lord.  See  her  now  at  the  prophet's  feet ; 
see  Gehazi  attempting  to  thrust  her  away  !  But 
Elisha  knew  that  her  soul  was  troubled.  Listen 
to  her  recital  of  recent  personal  history  regard- 
ing this  child  !  Hear  her  pathetic  appeal !  See 
Elisha  sending  Gehazi  with  the  prophet's  staff 
to  lay  on  the  face  of  the  child !  We  listen  to 
her  determined  declaration  to  the  prophet :  "  As 
the  Lord  liveth,  and  as  thy  soul  liveth,  I  will  not 
leave  thee."  Elisha  must  go.  How  wonderful 
are  the  instincts,  as  well  as  the  love,  of   the 


SHUNKM — "DOrHMC    RI-STINT.-I'I.ACK  "      265 

niollicr!  Now  behold  Klislia  luirryin;;  hack 
over  the  plain.  The  servant  meets  him.  The 
ineans  have  been  used,  but  the  child  still  sleeps 
in  death. 

Ei.i.SH.v  Ai.ONK  WITH  THK  Dkad.— See  the 
prophet  enter  the  silent  chamber.'  There  is 
stillness  thronj^hont  that  home;  there  's  a  min- 
crling^  of  sorrow  and  joy  in  that  mother's  heart. 
How  .still  it  is!  What  is  IClisha  doin^^?  He 
prayed  unto  the  Lord  as  probably  did  IvHjah. 
Christ  raised  the  dead  to  life  by  'a  word  ;  but 
Elijah  and  Elisha  only  after  prayer  and  effort. 
Then  he  stretched  himself  on  the  child,  his 
month  to  the  child's  month,  his  hands  on  the 
child's  hands,  communicating  .something,'-  of  his 
vital  warmth.  This  he  did  until  the  Hesh  of  the 
child  waxed  warm.  He  put  month  to  mouth  as 
if  in  God's  name  he  would  breathe  into  him 
again  the  breath  of  life.  Then  he  walked  vio- 
lently to  and  fro  to  increase  his  own  warmth  ; 
then  he  stretched  himself  again  on  the  child. 
Life  is  returning  ;  the  child  sneezed  seven  times  ; 
then,  God  be  praised,  he  opened  his  eyes.'' 
Think  of  the  anxiety  in  the  mother's  heart ! 
Did  she  hear  the  sound  of  what  was  going  on  in 
the  upper  chamber?  Joy  awaits  her.  Hear 
Elisha  telling  Gehazi  to  call  the  mother!  vShe 
comes.  Hear  Klisha  say:  ''Take  up  thy  son." 
No  wonder  she  bowed  herself  to  the  ground,  took 
up  her  son  and  went  out.  Heaven  was  then  in 
her  soul. 


>  2  Kings  4  :  23- 


*2  Kings  4  :  35. 


266 


SUNDAY   NIGHT    LECTURES 


W' 


Sorrow  comes  to  the  <;reate.st  houses  as  to  the 
humblest  homes.  God  had  but  one  sou  without 
sin,  but  God  did  not  have  even  one  son  without 
iorrow.  Christ  had  to  drink  his  bitter  cup  in 
vjethseniane  and  bear  his  cross  toward  Calvary. 
Gethsemane  and  Calvary  lie  evermore  this  side 
of  Olivet.  We  may  not  expect  God's  people  to 
be  free  fror.  sorrow  when  God's  divine  Son  had 
to  bear  earthly  grief. 

But  in  all  times  of  sorrow  we  can  betake  our- 
selves to  God.  It  was  a  wonderful  blessing  to 
the  woman  of  Shunem  that  the  "  man  of  God  " 
should  have  made  his  home  in  her  dwelling.  It 
is  worth  much  to  us  all  to  be  in  close  touch  with 
men  of  God.  It  is  greatly  wise  in  us  to  enter- 
tain God's  servants,  and  often  in  our  doing  so  we 
shall  entertain  angels  unawares.  The  old-fash- 
ioned grace  of  hospitality  is  somewhat  dying  out 
in  our  city  life.  Some  of  us  can  look  back  to 
the  visits  of  Christ's  ministers  in  our  quiet  coun- 
try homes  as  times  of  a  special  family  uplift,  of 
intellectual  inspiration,  and  of  divine  benedic- 
tion. The  visit  of  Elisha  to  the  home  in  Shu- 
nem was  the  bringing  of  a  direct  and  marvelous 
blessing  from  God. 

The  manner  in  which  this  miracle  was  per- 
formed teaches  us  that  in  lielping  men  we  must 
come  into  close  touch  with  them.  It  is  difficult 
to  understand  what  was  Elisha's  thought  in 
sending  Gehazi  with  the  staff.  This  act  has 
been  interpreted  in  many  ways,  but  no  satisfac- 
tory explanation  is  given.  We  know  that  Gehazi 
afterward  proved  to  be  covetous  and  false,  and 


!•?      i 


tl''      ?p 


siiUNEM — "double  resting-place"    267 

that  he  was  finally  punished  by  the  infliction  of 
a  perpetual  leprosy ;  but  perhaps  the  failure  in 
this  case  was  not  clue  to  an>  fault  in  the  char- 
acter of  Gehazi.  It  certainly  is  true  now  that  if 
we  are  to  bless  men  we  must  come  close  to  them. 
One  of  the  beautiful  thino^s  recorded  of  Christ  in 
connection  with  his  miracle  of  hcalinj;  the  luna- 
tic child  is  that  it  is  said,  "Jesus  took  him  by 
the  hand,  and  lifted  him  up,  and  he  arose."  This 
sufferer  was  in  a  painfully  sad  condition  ;  manv 
thought  he  was  dead.  The  evil  spirit  had  beeli 
commanded  to  leave  him,  but  so  fearful  was  the 
paroxysm  tliat  all  the  powers  of  the  child's  life 
were  exhausted  ;  but  tlie  touch  of  the  hand  of 
Christ  gave  him  life  anew.  Christians  are  the 
salt  of  the  earth,  and  if  salt  is  to  manifest  its  pre- 
serving qualities  it  must  be  mingled  with  that 
which  it  is  to  preserve.  It  will  not  do  to  put  the 
salt  and  the  meat  into  separate  barrels.  We 
must  still  take  men  by  the  hand.  Many  are 
ready  to  give  a  check  to  help  the  poor,  but  they 
will  not  give  their  presence,  their  hand,  and  their 
word  in  the  poor  home.  They  are  willing  to  use 
charitable  societies  as  a  slot  machine,  they  put- 
ting in  the  money  and  the  poor  taking  out  the 
benefit  in  some  form.  But  we  need  that  the  rich 
come  close  to  the  poor  in  bestowing  their  gifts. 

The  greatest  men,  even  prophets  of  God,  are 
powerless  without  God.  Elisha  must  wait  and 
pray,  and  pray  and  wait,  before  life  can  return  to 
the  dead  boy.  This  restoration  is  prophetic  of 
the  conversion  of  our  children  now  to  God,  and 
of  their  final  recovery  to  life  from  the  grave  and 


SUNB/Y   NIGHT   LECTURES 


their  eternal  joy  in  heaven.  This  sweet  instance 
is  full  of  tender  family  suggestions  and  of  im- 
portant spiritual  significance.  Long  will  the 
memories  of  the  visit  to  Shunem  abide.  Sitting 
by  one  of  its  streams  under  the  shadow  of  a  tree, 
and  thinking  of  its  spiritual  lessons,  I  realized 
the  significance  of  the  name  Shunem — "  double 
resting-place." 


'f  l'->. 


111  I 


M  I  ' 


I 


iM 


If 


m 

I.     !■'/   I 


■-    1. 


;'  f 


\^nw 


tice 
im- 
thc 
ing 
:ee, 
zed 
ble 


XXV 

NAIN  AND  ITS  WIDOW  ;   ENDOR  AND  ITS  WITCH 

MOST  refreshing  was  our  halt  at  Shiinem, 
with  its  beautiful  grove,  its  musical  and 
delicious  streams,  and  its  tender  memories  of 
Elisha  and  the  family  in  which  he  found  a  hos- 
pitable welcome.  We  resumed  our  journey,  and 
turning  the  western  part  of  Little  Hermon,  as 
this  part  of  the  mount  has  been  called  since  the 
time  of  Jerome,  and  which  ^  probably  identical 
with  the  hill  Moreh,  we  were  in  less  than  an 
hour  at  Nain.  The  word  Nain,  according  to 
some,  means  green  pasture ;  but  according  to 
others,  and  with  better  reason,  fair  or  graceful. 
The  name  is  mentioned  nowhere  in  the  Old 
Testament  and  not  elsewhere  in  the  New.  The 
name  has  always  been  preserved  ;  and  it  was 
often  tenderly  mentioned  in  the  time  of  the 
crusaders,  and  the  place  is  frequently  visited  by 
travelers  of  the  present  time.  It  is  near  Endor 
and  about  four  miles  southwest  of  Tabor.  It  is 
picturesquely  situated  on  a  low  mountain  spur, 
the  northwest  edge  of  Little  Hermon,  where  the 
hill  descends  into  the  plain  of  Esdraelon.  It 
commands  a  fine  view  of  the  hills  of  Galilee. 
Once  it  was  a  town  of  considerable  extent,  but 
now  it  is  a  poor  village  of  wretched  mud  huts 

269 


270 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


\.'  \ ' 


h.  ■) 


*  I 


li 


k  m 

ill 


with  heaps  of  rubbish  and  many  old  ruins.  Its 
dwellings  are  few,  only  about  twenty  in  number, 
and  the  population  is  correspondingly  small.  Its 
modern  name,  Nein,  is  identical  with  the  ancient 
name,  Nain.  Its  fountain  has  done  much  to  per- 
petuate its  existence.  As  the  traveler  approaches 
the  village,  he  observes  that  above  the  town 
there  are  holes  in  the  face  of  the  hills  ;  these  are, 
doubtless,  rock  tombs,  and  this  was  the  old 
burial  place.  This  fact  gives  remarkable  inter- 
est to  the  tender,  beautiful,  and  divine  incident 
in  our  Lord's  life  which  occurred  here.  That 
incident  has  made  the  place  memorable  forever ; 
and  that  incident  is  recorded  with  sweet  sim- 
plicity and  tender  suggestion  by  the  evangelist 
Luke,  the  only  evangelist  who  does  record  this 
miracle.  There  is  now  no  doubt  as  to  the  iden- 
tity of  the  location,  with  the  tombs  a  short  dis- 
tance east  of  the  village.  It  was  in  this  direc- 
tion that  our  Lord  approached,  and  it  was  prob- 
ably to  one  of  these  tombs  that  the  mournful 
procession,  which  he  met  at  the  gate  of  the  town, 
was  journeying  with  the  bier  on  which  lay  the 
young  man,  who  was  "the  only  son  of  his 
mother,  and  she  was  a  widow." 

Let  us  look  for  a  little  time  at  the  account  of 
the  raising  of  the  widow's  son,  as  given  in  Luke 
7  :  11-15.  Our  Lord  now  was  probably  going 
to  Jerusalem  to  keep  the  second  Passover  of  his 
ministry.  It  was  a  beautiful  coincidence  that 
our  Lord  should  have  met  the  funeral  procession 
as  it  was  going  out  of  the  town  ;  and  yet  it  was 
quite  in  harmony  with  the  custom  of  the  Jews 


NAIN  AND  WIDOW  ;  ENDOR  AND  WITCH  2'Jl 


who  did  not  bury  within  the  walls  of  towns  and 
cities.  "  Much  people  "  followed  the  bier.  The 
case  called  forth  <jeneral  sympathy.  Dean  Trench 
calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  sorrow  for  an  only 
son  has  passed  into  a  proverb.  In  Jer.  6  :  26  we 
read,  "  Make  thee  mourning  as  for  an  only  son  ; 
most  bitter  lamentations"  ;  and  in  Zech.  12  :  10, 
"  They  shall  mourn  for  him  as  one  mourneth  for 
his  only  son." 

Her  case  instantly  aroused  our  Lord's  compas- 
sion. He  said  to  her,  "  Weep  not."  She  must 
have  wondered  at  such  words  from  a  stranger ; 
but  the  tones  of  his  voice  and  the  glance  of  his 
eye  must  have  revealed  the  pity  of  his  heart. 
Christ's  words  are  not  empty  exhortations.  He 
can  even  now  anticipate  the  time  when  God  i.hall 
wipe  away  all  tears  from  our  eyes.  Behold  him 
arrestinnr  the  progress  of  those  who  carried  the 
bier.  Hear  his  words,  "  Young  man,  I  say  unto 
thee,  Arise,"  Then  we  read  that  "he  that  was 
dead  sat  rp,  and  began  to  speak." 

There  are  three  cases  of  raising  from  the  dead 
in  connection  with  our  Lord's  earthly  life.  It  is 
as  easy  for  Christ  to  raise  up  men  from  the  bier 
as  for  us  to  arouse  men  from  the  bed.  In  the 
case  of  Elijah  and  Elisha,  much  labor  and  prayer 
must  precede  the  miracle.  Christ  spoke  the 
word  and  the  miracle  was  wrought.  Blessed 
moment  was  that  when  Christ  delivered  him  to 
his  mother  !  Think  of  her  joy  !  This  act  was 
prophetic  of  the  time  when  he  shall  deliver  those 
who  have  fallen  asleep  in  him  to  their  beloved 
friends,  and  when  fellowship  shall  be  renewed 


272 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


,  (        ) 


I  !  'i. 


and  joy  shall  be  universal  and  eternal.  The 
effect  on  the  people  was  marked.  They  experi- 
enced a  degree  of  fear,  they  recognized  that  a 
great  prophet  had  come,  and  they  glorified  God, 
saying  that  "  God  hath  visited  his  people." 


"  Spring  of  Dor." — A  ride  of  three- 
an   hour  from    Nain    brings   us    co 


Endor, 
quarters  of 

Endor.  The  word  means  "spring  of  Dor,"  or 
"home  spring."  The  place,  with  its  dependent 
towns,  was  within  the  territory  of  Issachar,  and 
yet  it  was  possessed  by  Manasseh.  The  town  is 
mentioned  in  connection  with  the  victory  of 
Deborah  and  the  death  of  Barak.'  But  it  is 
chiefly  memorable  because  it  was  the  abode  of 
the  sorceress  consulted  by  Saul  in  his  dark  des- 
pair on  the  eve  of  the  fatal  battle  with  the  Philis- 
tines. Nowhere  is  tlie  name  mentioned  in  the 
New  Testament.  n\  the  time  of  Eusebius  and 
Jerome  it  still  existed  as  a  large  village,  and  is 
spoken  of  as  being  four  miles  south  of  Mount 
Tabor.  lU:  connection  with  the  victories  over 
Sisera  and  Jabin  may  be  one  reason  whicli  drew 
Saul  to  the  place,  when  he  was  abouc  to  engage 
with  an  enemy  as  much  hated  and  feared  as  were 
the  Midianites  over  whom  Gideon,  Barak,  and 
Deborah  had  won  decisive  victories. 

The  rock  on  the  slope  of  which  Endor  stands 
is  hollowed  into  caves,  one  of  which  may  have 
been  the  abode  of  the  witch  and  the  place  of  the 
incantation.      There  is  little   to   be   seen   here 


» Ps.  83  :  10. 


I . 


NAIN  AND  WIDOW;   KXDOR  AND  WITCH    273 


except  the  caves,  and  they  are  to  all  travelers  the 
chief  object  of  attraction.  Perhaps  this  place 
was  the  scene  of  the  death  of  Jabin  and  Sisera. 
One  cave  is  roomy ;  in  it  is  a  spring  to  which 
the  women  of  to-day  go  to  fill  their  pitchers. 
Its  walls  are  old  and  the  whole  pictnre  has  a 
weird  aspect.  As  the  women  came  out  cf  their 
huts  or  holes  to  gaze  on  us,  it  was  easy  to  im- 
agine in  some  of  them  the  features  of  the  witch 
that  has  given  this  place  its  fame,  a  fame  which 
will  endure  to  all  generations.  There  are  here 
in  all  only  a  few  squalid  people  living  in  mud 
huts  or  in  the  caves  which  abound  in  the  vicin- 
ity. 

The  Witch  and  the  Apparition.— SauPs 
visit  to  this  woman  who  had  a  familiar  spirit, 
literally,  "  a  mistress  of  the  Ob,"  is  represented 
as  the  crowning  act  of  Saul's  wickedness.  He 
was  in  a  state  of  despair.  He  had  driven  David 
from  him,  Samuel  was  dead,  and  God  refused  to 
answer  by  any  of  the  ways  in  which  he  had  for- 
merly made  known  his  will.  To  consult  with 
such  a  woman  was  an  act  forbidden  by  the 
divine  law,'  and  that  law  Saul  had  recently  en- 
forced. How  shall  this  weird  story  of  the  olden 
time  be  explained  ? 

As  was  to  be  expected,  many  explanations 
have  been  offered.  Some  have  endeavored  to 
resolve  the  whole  narrative  into  a  case  of  im- 
posture, and  they  make  out  a  reasonably  good 


'  Lev.  20  :  6. 

S 


274 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURKS 


,  \ 


argument  in  support  of  that  view.  They  say 
that  Saul  was  naturally  a  weak  and  excitable 
man  ;  that  he  was  subject  to  times  of  great  de- 
pression amounting  to  melancholia,  and  verging 
on,  if  not  passing  over  into,  insanity.  He  was 
now  in  a  state  of  great  alarm.  He  commissioned 
his  servants  to  seek  out  this  woman  ;  he  went  to 
her  by  night,  the  time  most  favorable  for  mak- 
ing him  the  victim  of  an  imposition.  He  saw 
the  woman  alone  ;  his  servants  may  have  agreed 
with  the  woman  that  one  of  them  would  person- 
ate Samuel.  You  will  observe  that  Saul  did  not 
see,  though  he  addressed,  the  spirit.  The  spirit 
told  him  nothing  but  what  his  own  attendants 
could  have  told  him,  except  that  he  would  die 
to-morrow ;  and  the  word  transhiited  to-morrow 
is  very  indefinite,  often  meaning  simply  the 
future.  Her  whole  manner  may  have  been  part 
of  her  skillful  imposition.  The  objection  to  this 
view  is  that  the  narrator  not  only  represents  the 
woman  as  affirming  that  she  saw  Samuel,  but  he 
himself  states  that  she  saw  Samuel ;  and  also 
that  Samuel  spoke  to  Saul. 

Some  have  attempted  to  explain  the  story  on 
the  ground  of  ventriloquism  ;  but  a  similar  ob- 
jection holds  to  this  view  as  to  the  one  just  given. 
Others  have  supposed  that  the  woman  induced 
Satan  to  personate  Samuel,  but  this  view  at- 
tributes to  Satan  a  power  inconsistent  with  the 
general  representations  of  the  Scripture  regard- 
ing him.  The  devil  would  scarcely  be  engaged 
in  reproving  Saul  for  his  impiety  and  open  re- 
bellion against  God. 


m 


NAIN  AND  WIDOW  ;    KNDOR  AND  WITCH    275 


There  is  another  view  which  scciiis  reasonable 
in  itself,  and  in  harmony  with  other  seriptnral 
narratives.     :Might  not  the  whole  scene  he  actual, 
so  far  as  the  impression  upon  the  mind  alike  of 
Saul  and  the  woman  is  concerned  ?     May  it  not 
be  a  representation   brought  about,  not' by  the 
magical  i-'ts  of  the  woman,  but  by  divine  power, 
to  warn,  to  rebnke,  and  to  exhort  Saul  ?     The 
narrative  seems  to  imply  that  Samuel  appeared 
before  the  woman  had  performed  any  of  her  rites, 
before  she  had  practised  her  maoical  arts,  before 
she  had  introduced  her  tricks  of  leoerdemai  1  and 
her  skill  as  a  ju.irjTler.     So  soon  as  Saul  asked  to 
have  Samuel   brought,  Samuel  was  present  to 
her  vision.     The  appearance  of  Sanuiel  seems  to 
have  been  an  event  contrary  to  all  her  expecta- 
tions.    She  seemed  to  be  as  much  surprised  as 
was  Saul  when  she  told  him.     She  learned  also 
in  the  same  nnexpected  way  of  the  royal  dignity 
of  her  nocturnal  visitor.     God  seems  to  have  in- 
terposed before  the  woman  nsed  her  arts.     Thus 
God  interposed  to  overrule  the  mind  of  Balaam, 
so   that  he   was   obliged  to   bless  those    whom 
Balak,  the  king  of  the  Moabites,  wished  him  to 
curse.     There  are  other  instances  in  Scripture 
of   the  same  general  method  adopted   by  God. 
As  God  can  make  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise 
him,  so  he  can  overrule  the  intentions  and  plans 
of  even  witches,  so-called,  so  as  to  make  them  aid 
in  his  purposes  of  rebuke  and   warning.     The 
vision  to  the  woman  was  also  a  warning  to  her ; 
it  taught  her  the  presence  of  a  power  far  beyond 
her  control. 


'li 


276 


SUNDAY   NIGHT    I.KCTURKS 


Ternl)le  was  the  impression  on  the  conscience- 
stricken  Sanl ;  he  fell  with  his  face  to  the  gronnd 
in  the  presence  of  the  vision  of  Sanuiel  coming 
np  clothed  in  his  prophet's  or  royal  mantle.' 

Tnrning  for  a  moment  to  the  later  incident 
connecting  itself  with  Nain,  we  find  in  the  rais- 
ing of  the  widow's  son  a  striking  illnstration  of 
our  Lord's  sympathy.  This  woman's  case  was 
touching  in  the  extreme.  This  young  man  was 
not  only  her  only  son  living,  but  the  words  in 
the  original  imply  that  he  was  the  only  son  she 
ever  had.  The  evangelist  Luke,  with  two 
touches  of  his  brush,  gives  us  a  portrait  of  this 
woman.  With  one  stroke  he  shows  her  to  us  as 
a  widow,  and  with  another  stroke  as  now  de- 
prived of  her  only  son.  She  had,  doubtless,  ex- 
pected to  lean  upon  him  for  support,  but  now  he 
was  taken  from  her.  Our  Lord's  heart  grew 
tender  as  he  thought  of  her  multiplied  griefs. 
This  miracle  of  love  and  power  has  made  Nain 
immortal.  Great  cities  have  passed  away,  but 
this  Galilean  village  will  abide.  When  Nine- 
veh, Babylon,  Athens,  and  Rome  are  forgotten, 
Nain  will  live.  Christ  glorified  the  entire  land 
of  Palestine.  Its  villages  with  which  he  came 
in  special  contact  are  still  vocal  with  his  words 
and  radiant  with  his  presence.  His  sympathy  is 
as  real  toward  those  who  sorrow  to-day  as  it  was 
toward  the  widow  of  Nain  in  that  day.  He  can 
still  be  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirm- 
ities. 


k 


V 


•1 


I  Sam.  28  :  11-14. 


II.    !^ 


11' 


NAIN  AND  WIDOW  ;    K NDOR  AND  WITCH    277 


Saul's  terrible  moral  downfall  abounds  in  Ics- 
sons  to  men  of  to-day.  These  narratives  of  the 
olden  time  are  as  npprcpriate  for  to-day  as  they 
were  for  the  men  of  that  early  day.  Saul's 
downward  course  was  gradual.  There  is  much 
about  him  which  we  all  must  admire.  When 
he  first  comes  before  us  he  awakens  our  enthusi- 
asm and  evokes  our  admiration.  Maj;nificeut  in 
stature,  he  was  magnanimous  in  spirit.  His  first 
trial  and  transgression  revealed  elements  of 
weakness  in  his  character  which  only  close  stu- 
dents of  his  life  would  suspect.  He  refused  to 
obey  God  as  God's  will  had  been  revealed  by  the 
words  of  the  prophet  Samuel.  Saul  ordered 
sacrifices  to  be  offered  contrary  to  the  divine 
law.  When  men  take  the  first  step  in  the  down- 
ward way  the  subsequent  steps  are  taken  with 
ease  and  rapidity.  God  gave  Saul  anotlicr  op- 
portunity before  his  final  rejection.  He  was 
commanded  to  extirpate  the  Amalekites.  These 
enemies  of  God  long  merited  severe  punishment 
from  the  people  of  God.  No  one  may  say  that 
this  command  was  unworthy  of  God,  unless  the 
critic  knows  all  the  principles  on  which  the 
Ruler  of  the  universe  acts.  Here  again  Saul 
was  disobedient  to  the  divine  will.  His  conduct 
toward  David  is  also  worthy  of  reprehension. 
At  times  he  sank  into  a  condition  of  deep  melan- 
choly; at  times  he  was  scarcely  responsible  for 
his  acts.  He  became  a  monomaniac.  His  treat- 
ment of  David  was  unworthy  of  him  as  a  man 
and  as  a  king ;  but  the  measure  of  his  iniquity 
became  full  when  he  forsook  God  and  repaired 


J 


;fi    ' 


I 


n 


■!:' 


i  : 


fl 
ft 


278 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURKS 


to   the   woman  of  witchcraft,  necromaucy,  and 
divination. 

One  cannot  bnt  be  conscious  of  some  degree 
of  tenderness  as  he  tliinks  of  the  fearful  condi- 
tion in  which  Saul  found  himself.  The  Philis- 
tines were  upon  him  ;  the  morrow  was  a  day  of 
destiny.  What  shall  he  do?  He  is  forsaken  of 
God  and  of  men  ;  he  sinks  into  despair.  It  is  a 
terrible  thing  to  forsake  the  living  (iod.  God's 
punishment  came  on  apace,  and  came  in  har- 
mony with  natural  law.  When  men  turn  away 
from  the  living  God  they  will  seek  after  witches 
and  every  form  of  superstition.  It  is  a  remark- 
able fact  that  no  men  are  so  credulous  toward 
the  superstitions  of  witchcraft,  spiritualism,  and 
atheism,  as  the  men  who  are  most  incredulous 
regarding  the  existence,  authority,  and  provi- 
dence of  God.  When  men  refuse  to  believe  in 
the  living  God  they  are  ready  to  adopt  the  most 
unthinkal3le  fancies  and  the  most  groveling 
superstitions.  History  warrants  these  strong 
statements.  Caligula  mocked  at  the  existence 
of  the  gods,  but  he  would  hide  himself  under  a 
bed  when  it  thundered.  Infidelity  and  supersti- 
tion are  evermore  twin  brothers,  conceived  and 
born  in  sin.  Faith  in  God  is  truly  rational. 
The  unbeliever  is  not  worthy  to  be  called  a 
rationalist ;  he  is  an  irrationalist.  He  who  fol- 
lows God,  follows  reason,  truth,  righteousness 
and  holiness.  True  religion  is  sanctified  com- 
mon sense,  which,  imfortunately,  is  often  the 
most  uncommon  sense. 


and 


XXVI 

BETIISIIAN—"  HOUSE   OF    REST" 

A  RIDE  of  less  than  tliree  hours  from  the 
fountain  of  Gideon  takes  us  to  IJcthshan, 
which  was  afterward  known  as  Scythopolis,  and 
is  now  called  Heisan.  The  ancient  name  lieth- 
shan  and  some  remains  of  the  town  itself  appear 
in  the  modern  name  and  town  of  Beisan.  The 
situation  of  the  town  is  unusually  attractive. 
It  commands  a  g^rand  view  of  the  Jordan  Valley, 
or,  more  strictly,  the  valley  of  Jezreel,  where  it 
opens  into  the  Jordan  Valley.  The  village  con- 
tains only  about  fifty  or  sixty  houses,  and  the 
people  have  a  doubtful  reputation.  They  are 
mostly  Moslems  and  are  described  as  being;  in- 
hospitable, fanatical,  and  lawless  to  an  unusual 
degree.  The  ruins  of  the  town  are  said  to  cover 
a  space  of  more  than  two  miles.  The  ancient 
town  was  built  on  the  banks  of  the  stream  flow- 
ing from  the  Ain  Jalud,  which  is  by  Jezreel,  and 
is  in  all  probability  the  spring  by  which  the  Is- 
raelites encamped  before  the  battle  of  Gilboa,  in 
which  Saul  was  slain.  It  also  watered  the  val- 
leys through  which  its  various  branches  flow. 
Three  other  large  brooks  passed  through  or  near 
the  town. 

Amid  the  ruins  are  the  remains  of  a  hippo- 

279 


iS 


280 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


M  :- 


lii. 


J* 


;  N 


drome,  west  of  the  village ;  there  are  also  frag- 
ments of  columns  which  must  have  belonged  to 
a  temple  of  some  sort,  perhaps  to  the  mosque 
finished  in  1404 ;  and  scattered  among  these 
remains  are  large  heaps  of  black  hewn  stones, 
foundations  of  iioui:es,  and  portions  of  pillars. 
There  are  also  remains  of  the  amphitheatre  in 
the  bed  of  the  valley  which  are  well  preserved. 
Roman  arches  and  many  traces  of  a  massive 
wall  remain.  The  amphitheatre  must  have 
measured  across  the  front  at  least  one  hundred 
and  eighty  feet,  and  it  had  twelve  tiers  of  seats. 
It  is  said  to  have  possessed  three  oval  recesses 
half  way  up  the  building,  and  these  three  re- 
cesses are  supposed  to  have  contained  the  brass 
sounding  tubes.  Tliere  are  also  remains  of 
tombs  which  lie  to  the  northeast  of  the  Acropo- 
lis. The  sarcophagi  still  exist  in  some  of 
them.  There  are  also  triangular  niches  showing 
where  lamps  once  were  placed,  and  the  places 
where  doors  once  were  hung  are  indicated  in  the 
stones.  All  of  these  ruins  are  in  a  wonderful 
state  of  preservation.  The  Tel,  or  Acropolis,  is 
two  hundred  feet  high.  It  is  a  nearly  circular 
hill,  on  the  top  of  which  are  traces  of  the  walls 
which  surrounded  it.  Two  streams  run  through 
the  ruins  of  the  city.  Travelers  competent  to 
judge  tell  us  that  Hebrew,  Canaanitish,  Roman, 
Christian,  and  Saracenic  fragments  may  be  dis- 
tinguished among  the  ruins  of  Bethshan.  The 
waters  flow  in  great  abundance,  gushing  from 
perennial  fountains,  and  the  fertility  of  the  soil 
and  the  luxuriance  of   the   vegetation   a:e   re- 


f. 


BETHSHAN — "HOUSE   OF   REST"  281 


marked  by  many  travelers.  It  is  said  that  it 
affords  the  finest  panorama  next  to  that  of  Ger- 
izim  in  all  central  Palestine. 

Early  Mention.— Bethshan  was  a  city  be- 
longing to  the  half-tribe  of  Manasseh  west  of  the 
Jordan,  situated  in  the  valley  of  the  Jordan.     It 
was  bounded  on  the  west   by  the  range  of  the 
mountains  of  Gilboa.     It   is  about  three  miles 
from  the  Jordan  and  twenty  from   the  Sea  of 
Galilee.     It  lies  three  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
below   the  level  of  the    Mediterranean.     David 
conquered  Bethshan  ;  but  it  never  became  really 
a  Jewish  town.     In  the  time  of  Josiah  certain 
Scythians  settled   there,   and    because   of   their 
presence  and  influence  it  ccnie  to  have  the  name 
of  Scythopolis.     The  ancient  rabbins   did   not 
consider  vScythopolis  as  really  a  Jewish  town  ; 
they  regarded  its  people  as  an  unholy  people.' 
Kitto  observes  that  if  the  dwellers  there  were 
descendants  of  the  Scythians   the   reference  in 
Col.  3  :  II,  where  the  Scythian  is  named  with 
the  Jew  and  the  Greek,  becomes  more  intelli- 
gible than  otherwise  could  be  the  case.     It  was 
at  Bethshan  that  Alexander  Janiuxus  met  Clco- 
patra.     Pompey  marched  through  Bethshan  on 
his  way   from  Damascus  and  Jerusalem.     It  is 
stated  that  in  the  Jewish  war  thirteen  thousand 
Jews  were  slain  by  the  Scythopolitnus.     Bishops 
of  Scythopolis  are  mentioned  in  comiecUon  with 
various  church  councils,  and  for  a  time  during 
the  Crusades  it  was  an  archbishopric,  but   this 
honor  was   afterward   transferred    to   Nazareth. 


282 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   I.ECTURES 


"  t 


>,'• 


The  name  Scythopolis  was  received  after  the 
exile  and  under  the  Greek  dominion,  but  the 
name  has  not  survived ;  the  old  name  of  Beth- 
shan,  as  already  remarked,  appears  in  the  modern 
name  of  Beisan.  The  instances  are  but  few  in 
Palestine  in  which  Gentile  names  survive  the 
old  Semitic  names.  We  have  an  instance  in  the 
case  of  Neapolis,  the  modern  Nablus.  In  the 
time  of  the  Crusades  both  names  were  given  to 
Bethshan.  The  site  of  the  town  is  just  at  the 
descent  where  the  great  plain  of  Esdraelon  runs 
into  the  valley  of  the  Jordan.  The  al)ility  of 
using  their  chariots,  because  of  the  level  condi- 
tion of  the  ground,  enabled  the  old  Canaanites 
long  to  retain  their  hold  on  this  place.  But  al- 
though the  Israelites  were  not  able  to  drive  the 
Canaanites  out,  they  had  power  enough  to  place 
them  under  tribute/  Saladin  after  much  effort 
reduced  the  town  and  destroyed  it  by  fire. 

When  the  Philistines  came  to  strip  the  slain 
on  Mount  Gilboa,  after  the  battle  which  had 
been  so  disastrous  to  Israel,  we  read  that :  "  W^hen 
the  men  of  Israel  that  were  on  the  other  side  of 
the  valley,  and  they  that  were  on  the  other  side 
Jordan,  saw  that  the  men  of  Israel  fled,  and 
that  Saul  and  his  sons  were  dead,  they  forsook 
the  cities,  and  fled  ;  and  the  Philistines  came  and 
dwelt  in  them.  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  mor- 
row, when  the  Philistines  came  to  strip  the  slain, 
that  they  found  Saul  and  his  three  sons  fallen 
in  mount  Gilboa.     And  they  cut  off  his  head, 


»  Josh.  17  :  12,  13. 


BETHSHAN — "  HOUSE   OF   REST 


n 


283 


and  stripped  off  his  armour,  and  sent  into  the  hind 
of  the  Philistines  round  about,  to  publish  it  in 
the  house  of  their  idols,  and  among  the  people. 
And  they  put  his  armour  in  the  house  of  Ashta- 
roth  :  and  they  fastened  his  body  to  the  wall  of 
Bethshan."  *  The  armor  of  Saul  was  finally  de- 
posited in  the  temple  of  Astarte,  in  this  Canaan- 
itish  city  of  Bethshan.  It  is  plain  that  the  head 
of  Saul  was  deposited  at  Ashdod  in  the  temple 
of  Dagon.  The  Philistines  found  it  difficult  to 
forgive  the  Israelites  for  tiie  death  of  their  great 
champion  Goliath.  The  contempt  thrown  upon 
Saul  was  also  in  accordance  with  the  customs  of 
ancient  warfare.  The  Philistines,  however,  paid 
a  compliment  even  to  the  dead  Saul.  Their 
fierce  joy  showed  how  great  had  been  their  fear 
of  Saul  and  how  powerful  had  been  his  influence 
in  breaking  their  yoke  from  the  necks  of  the 
Israelites.  It  was  most  unfortunate  for  Saul  that 
he  had  previous  to  this  battle  broken  with  David, 
for  if  David  had  been  with  him,  the  Philistines 
might  not  have  triumphed,  and  Saul  would  not 
have  committed  suicide.  The  men  of  Jabesh- 
Gilead  heard  of  the  indignity  which  had  been 
inflicted  upon  the  body  of  Saul.  They  had  for- 
merly received  kindnesses  from  him  when  be- 
sieged by  Naliash,  the  king  of  the  Ammonites. 
Their  town  lay  beyond  the  Jordan  in  the  land  of 
Gilead  ;  they  belonged  to  the  half-tribe  of  Ma- 
nasseh,  and  once  were  banished  by  the  Israelites 
because  they  refused  to  assist  in  the  war  against 


*  I  Sam.  31  :  7-10. 


/ 


284 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


f 


hm 


Benjamin.  One  of  the  first  exploits  of  Saul  after 
he  had  been  elected  king  was  to  raise  the  siege 
which  Nahash  laid  against  Jabesh-Gilead.  The 
inhabitants,  seeing  no  hope,  had  agreed  to  sur- 
render. They  also  accepted  the  terrible  con- 
ditions of  having  their  right  eyes  put  out,  in 
order  that  tliey  might  be  unfit  for  all  forms  of 
military  service.  They  were,  however,  allowed 
seven  days  in  which  to  ratify  the  treaty.  Saul 
heard  of  their  pitiable  condition.  He  hastily 
collected  a  large  army,  and  immediately  went  to 
the  relief  of  the  besieged  town.  Saul  was  then 
in  the  heroic  period  of  his  life.  The  elements  of 
nobility  in  his  soul  were  aroused  and  this  act  of 
generosity  was  the  result.  The  people  never 
forgot  his  kindness  and  bravery  in  delivering 
them  from  their  horrible  fate.  Forty  years 
passed,  and  the  opportunity  came  for  the  men  of 
Jabesh-Gilead  to  show  their  gratitude  to  the 
memory  of  Saul  and  his  sons.  Their  bodies,  a^ 
we  have  seen,  were  fastened  to  the  walls  of  Beth- 
shan,  and  now  the  men  of  Jabesh-Gilead  came 
heroically  over  the  Jordan  by  night  to  carry  off 
the  bodies,  which  they  partly  consumed  by  fire, 
burying  them  under  the  tamarisk  tree  in  Jabesh. 
They  then  fasted  seven  days.^  They  deserve  all 
honor  for  this  forced  night  marcli,  and  for  their 
desire  to  give  the  bodies  honorable  burial.  Saul 
certainly  once  possessed  the  power  of  attracting 
men.  Bad  men  often  have  good  qualities  which 
call  fortli  gratitude  and  affection. 


*  I  Sam.  31  :  11-13. 


BETHSHAN — "HOUSE    OF    REST 


n 


285 


We  have  noted  that  these  men  partly  cremated 
the  bodies  of  Saul  and  his  sons.  Cremation  was 
highly  honored  among  some  of  the  heathen 
nations.  It  is,  however,  here  mentioned  for  the 
first  time  in  the  Bible.  It  was  here  resorted  to, 
without  doubt,  to  ensure  the  bodies  against  fur- 
ther maltreatment.  If  they  had  buried  the 
bodies,  the  Philistines  might  have  inflicted  addi- 
tional contempt  upon  their  dead  foes.  In  the 
Talmud,  cremation  is  condemned  as  a  heathen 
practice.  The  prejudice  which  exists  against  it 
to-day  doubtless  existed  in  the  minds  of  many 
Hebrews  at  that  time. 

It  was  deemed  a  great  dishonor  to  the  body, 
and  an  irreparable  injury  to  the  soul,  when 
proper  burial  was  denied  the  dead.  To  be  un- 
buried  was  the  greatest  conceivable  indignity, 
according  to  the  popular  belief  in  the  ancient 
East.  Many  passages  of  Scripture  could  be  cited 
in  proof  of  this  statement.  The  hero  of  the 
apocryphal  book  of  Tobit  has  his  highest  praise, 
because  of  his  devotion  to  the  solemn  duty  of 
burying  the  bodies  of  Israelites,  when  they  were 
found  unburied  in  the  streets  and  other  public 
places.  The  Assyrians  were  under  the  influence 
of  this  commendable  principle,  or  popular  su- 
perstition, whichever  we  may  choose  to  call  it. 
When  an  Assyrian  king  wished  to  inflict  the 
greatest  humiliation  and  indignity  on  a  fallen 
foe,  he  refused  his  body  burial.  The  popular 
conviction  was  that  the  soul  of  a  person  unburied 
wandered  about  seeking  rest  and  finding  none. 
When  these  Orientals  wished  to  inflict  vengeance 


286 


SUNDAY   NIGHT    LECTURES 


'  I 


l.h 


upon  a  foe  after  his  death  they  left  the  body  iin- 
biiried.  A  somewhat  similar  idea  prevails  to- 
day among  the  natives  of  India.  According-  to 
the  popular  belief,  if  a  body  is  left  unbu- ied,  or 
is  mutilated  at  death,  the  soul  also  is  mutilated 
and  in  a  sense  unprotected  in  the  spiritual  world. 
This  superstition  led  the  Britisli  government  to 
the  awful  punishment  of  tying  the  rebellious 
Sepoys  to  the  mouths  of  cannon  and  blowing 
them  therefrom.  The  design  was  not  simply  to 
visit  the  body  with  punishment,  but  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  popular  superstition  regarding  the 
relation  bet'veen  a  mutilated  body  and  an  injured 
spirit,  and  so  strike  unspeakable  terror  into  the 
hearts  of  the  rebels.  A  similar  superstition  con- 
trols the  Chinese  to-day  in  their  desire  to  be 
buried  in  the  soil  of  China.  Every  Chinese  re- 
turning to  his  own  country  makes  a  contract 
with  the  steamship  company  that,  in  the  case  of 
death  while  on  board  the  ship,  his  body  shall  be 
carried  back  to  China.  It  was  this  principle, 
coupled  with  the  memory  of  Saul's  kindness, 
which  governed  the  men  of  Jabesh-Gilead  in 
giving  Saul  honorable  burial. 

It  is  interesting  in  this  connection  to  see  how 
kindness,  exercised  in  time  of  prosperity,  may  be 
repaid  by  its  recipients  in  the  time  of  adversity 
to  their  former  benefactors.  This  thought  is  a 
gleam  of  light  in  the  dark  story  and  time  which 
we  have  been  studying.  It  is  delightful  to  see 
that  Saul's  former  kindness  was  not  forgotten 
when  the  day  of  his  terrible  misfortune,  defeat, 
and  death  came.     It  often  seems  to  us  as  if  our 


tl 


II I 


be 


ill 


BETHSIIAN — "  IIOUSK   OF    REST  " 


287 


best  labors  for  the  j^ood  of  others  were  utterly 
unappreciated.  Here  is  a  striking  instance  of 
gratitude  for  former  favors  when  their  donor  was 
silent  in  death.  Let  us  give  the  men  of  Jabesh- 
Gilead  all  honor,  and  let  their  example  stimulate 
us  to  acts  of  benevolence  to-day. 

It  is  interesting  also  to  see  how  David  appreci- 
ated the  heroism  and  gratitude  of  these  men. 
He  seems  to  have  made  inquiry  concerning  the 
body  of  Saul.  When  he  learned  that  it  had  re- 
ceived honorable  burial  from  the  hands  of  these 
men  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Jordan,  he  asked 
the  Lord  to  show  them  kindness  for  the  kind- 
ness they  had  shown  to  Saul.  This  may  have 
been  a  bit  of  good  policy  on  the  part  of  David  ; 
but  it  was  not  that  alone.  Doubtless  he  wished 
to  win  the  good  will  of  all  the  adherents  of 
Saul ;  but  the  act  was  consonant  with  the  spirit 
of  David's  pathetic  and  powerful  lament  over 
Saul  and  Jonatlian.  The  men  of  Jabesh-Gilead 
incurred  danger  of  punishment  at  the  hands  of 
the  Philistines  when  they  took  down  from  the 
walls  of  Bethshan  the  headless  trunk  of  Saul. 
David  honors  their  valorous  conduct.  He  assures 
them  that  now  that  he  is  king  he  could  render 
them  aid,  should  their  brave  act  subject  them  to 
danger. 

It  is  always  noble  to  be  loyal  to  friends  and 
especially  to  show  gratitude  for  former  favors. 
Past  all  earthly  friends  our  thoughts  should  go 
up  to  Christ  as  the  Friend  who  died  that  we 
might  live.  There  is  a  sense  in  which  we  now 
can  stand  beside  his  cross,  sharing  his  reproach 


288  SUNDAY  NIGHT   LKCTURKS 

and  Riorying  therein.     His  cross   is  really  his 

Zu    ;>    1  his   thought  gives   life   o„e   of   its 
noblest  inspirations. 


/j 


( . 


; )  :■ 


(I 


J 
J1 


XXVII 


MOUNT  TABOR — "HEIGHT 


n 


PRESSING  on  our  way  to  Nazaretli,  we  rode 
for  hours  in  sight  of  beautiful  and  historic 
Mount  Tabor.      Its  configuration  and  location 
are  peculiar;  they  are  unique  among  the  moun- 
tains of  Palestine  and,  indeed,  of  the  world.     It 
rises  like  a  dome,  suddenly  and  alone,  from  the 
northeastern  arm  of  the  plain  of  Ksdraelon.     It 
is  one  th  ■)usand  eight  hundred  to  two  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea,  and  nearly  one  thousand  four 
hundred  feet  above  the  plain.    So  striking  is  the 
mountain  that  it  is  a  rabbinic  saying  that  the 
temple  ought  by  right  to  have  been  built  there, 
but  a  special  revelation  required  it  to  be  built  on 
Mount  Moriah.     The  mountain  stands  isolated, 
except  that  on  the  west  a  narrow  ridge  connects 
it  with  the  hills  of  Nazareth.     Its  appearance  is 
truly  beautiful,  it  is  so  symmetrical  in  its  pro- 
portions, and  so  like  a  hemisphere  in  its  form. 
Seen,  therefore,  at  different  angles   it   presents 
various  aspects.     It  is  studded  with   oaks,  syr- 
inga,  and  other  trees  and  bushes ;  it  has  thick 
foliage  on  the  sides,  and  a  level  tract  on  the 
summit.     These  trees  afford  shelter  for  wolves, 
wild  boars,  and  lynxes. 

Mount  Tabor  lies  six  to  eight  miles  nearly  due 

T  289 


.1 


V 


h  t<, 


290 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


east  of  Nazareth.  Its  name  probably  meant 
"  height."  The  Greek  and  Roman  writers  called 
it  Itabyrion  and  Atabyrion  ;  its  modern  name  is 
Jebel-et-Tnr.  In  shape  it  is  like  a  sugar  loaf, 
flattened  at  the  top.  From  whatever  point  it  is 
viewed,  it  is  graceful  and  beautiful  to  an  unusual 
degree.  The  dew  is  very  heavy  on  the  moun- 
tain ;  it  seems  in  the  early  morning  as  if  a  shower 
of  rain  had  fallen  in  the  night.  Glorious  is  the 
panorama  from  its  top ;  there  is  nothing  more 
beautiful  in  the  Holy  Land.  Objects  of  natural 
beauty  and  of  sacred  interest  abound.  Take  a 
glance  about  you  as  you  there  stand.  Fifteen 
miles  distant  is  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  glittering  in 
the  sunshine ;  still  looking  east,  the  course  of 
the  Jordan  for  many  miles  can  be  seen  ;  still 
farther  east,  the  mountains  of  Gilead  and  Ba- 
shan  ;  on  the  west,  is  the  Mediterranean  ;  on  the 
northwest,  Carmel  lifts  its  head.  On  the  north 
and  northeast,  are  the  ranges  of  Lebanon,  and 
still  farther  beyond  the  snow-capped  Hermon, 
and  nearer  the  Horns  of  Hattin,  the  reputed 
mount  of  the  Beatitudes.  On  the  south  is 
Gilboa,  made  famous  because  of  David's  elegy. 
We  can  see  Endor  and  Nain.  Tender  nicmories 
will  ever  cluster  about  this  beautiful  mountain, 
even  though  we  cannot  believe  that  it  was  the 
place  of  our  Lord's  transfiguration  ;  of  that  I 
shall  speak  a  little  later.  With  such  views  be- 
fore us,  the  language  of  the  psalmist  ^  appropri- 
ately suggests  itself : 


I  'I 


I 


'!  i. 


1 


rl 

■ii,  \i 


^  Ps,  89:    II,   12. 


MOUNT   TABOR— "HKIGIIT" 


291 


The  heavens  are  thine,  the  earth  also  is  thine  : 
The  world  and  the  fuhiess  thereof,  thou  hast  founded  them 
Ihe  north  and  tlic  south,  thou  hast  created  them  : 
Tabor  and  Hennon  shall  rejoice  in  thy  name. 

The  Instory  of  tlic  iiiountain  is  deeply  inter- 
esting.   Tabor  is  not  mentioned  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament, bnt  it  fills  a  large  place  in  the  old.     It 
was  here  that  Deborah  commanded  Barak  to  as- 
semble his  army.     The  words  of  Scriptnre,  in 
Jiidg.  4:  14,   15,  are:    '^So  Barak    went   down 
from  nionnt  Tabor,  and  ten  thonsand  men  after 
him.     And  the  Lord  discomfited  Sisera,  and  all 
his  chariots  and  all  his  host,  with  the  edge  of  the 
sword  before  Barak."     The  incidents  thus  sum- 
marized  well   deserve  our  more  careful   study. 
About  one  hundred  and  sixty  years  after  Josh^ 
ua's  death,  the  people  turned  very  generally  to 
the  worship  of  Baal.     God  punished   them    by 
letting  loose  an  enemy  among  them.     He  de- 
signed in  this  way  to  drive  them  back  to  him- 
self.    A  century  and  a  half  before  Joshua  had 
overrun  the  pett>-  kingdom  of  Hazor,  but  now  it 
had  recovered  itself ;  another  Jabin  reigned.    He 
acquired  a  force  of  chariots  even  to  the  number 
of  nine  hundred.     Thus  he  was  able   to    over- 
power  the  Israelites  of  the  north,  and  for  twenty 
years  he  kept  them  in  subjection.     He  had  for- 
tresses  at    Taanach,    :\Icgiddo,    and    Bethshan. 
These  cut  off  help  from  the  southern  tribes,  and 
he   held    the   northern    in    his   grasp.       Trade 
ceased;  the  people  went  into  hiding;  the  high- 
ways were   neglected;    and    men    who   had   to 
make  journeys  went  by  secret  mountain  paths. 


292 


SUNDAY   NIGHT    MXTl'RKS 


■tA 


<''i 


I        ' 


The  people  were  cowed  and  fearful.  They  were 
an  iniarnied  ninltitnde ;  they  could  scarcely 
boast  of  a  spear  or  shield  anion^  forty  thonsand 
men.'  Their  enemies  were  nnmerons,  well- 
armed,  and  confident  of  continuous  victories 
over  their  feeble  foes. 

In  this  crisis  a  woman  comes  forward  as  the 
deliverer  of  the  oppressed  people.  She  was  the 
Joan  of  Arc  of  the  time.  She  was  fired  with  a 
noble  patriotism  and  a  lofty  relij^ious  enthusi- 
asm. She  had  lonj^  pondered  over  the  sorrows 
of  her  countrymen  ;  she  had  mused  until  the 
fires  of  her  zeal  burned  into  a  flame.  Her  he- 
roic soul  was  aj^low  for  (iod  and  country.  She 
was  indijriiant  that  cowardice  kept  the  people 
from  bravely  strikiu}^  for  liberty.  She  lived  in 
the  south  in  the  hills  of  Kphraim,  between  Ra- 
mah  and  Bethel.  She  dwelt  there  under  a  palm 
tree.  Her  name,  Deborah,  is  significant,  it  means 
a  bee — and  as  a  bee  she  gave  honey  to  her 
friends  and  a  sting  to  her  foes.  She  was  the 
wife  of  Lapidoth,  whoever  he  may  have  been. 
His  name  means,  "  the  torch."  She  was  a  poet 
as  well  as  a  patriot ;  and  her  songs  seem  to  have 
aroused  the  spirit  of  the  people  to  a  great  pitch 
of  natural  enthusiasm.  Hv..  fame  for  wisdom 
was  so  great  that  she  exercised  a  sort  of  judicial 
power,  sitting,  for  the  sake  of  its  shade,  under  a 
palm  tree,  which  afterward  bore  her  name. 

The  whole  country,  from  Benjamin  to  Naph- 
tali,  caught  the  inspiration  of  her  great  soul,  but 


•u 


'  Judg.  5  i  8. 


MOI'NT   TAROR — "  IIKIGIIT  " 


293 


she  needed  a  leader  for  tlic  iiiovement.  On  the 
shores  of  the  lake  of  (ialilee,  south  of  wliere 
Tiberias  stands,  was  Kedesli  ;  here  lived  the 
chief  whom  she  chose.  I  lis  name  was  liarak, 
nieanin^^  "the  thnnderbolt,"  or  perhaps  "  light- 
nin^^"  She  was  the  ruling,'  spirit ;  she  com- 
manded him  to  march  to  Tabor,  and  she  pron-- 
ised  that  Cod  wonld  deliver  Sisera,  Jabin's  com- 
mander, with  his  horses  and  chariots,' into  liarak's 
hand.  lint  still  lUrak  htsitatcd.  He  needed 
Deborah's  faith,  hope,  and  zeal.  He  insisted 
that  she  ninst  \ro  witli  him  ;  she  was  ready  to  j;o. 
Ihit  her  i;ou\^  wonld  take  from  him  the  victory  ; 
it  wonld  be  liers  and  not  his.  Ten  thonsand 
men  answered  the  messenj^ers  sent  far  and  near. 
They  assembled  at  Tabor.  Issachar,  from  the 
plains  of  Ksdraelon,  sent  bands  of  vohniteers ; 
Kphraimites  jrathered  from  their  hills;  valiant 
crowds  of  Benjaniites,  fierce,  warlike,  skilled 
with  the  bow,  and  so  famons  with  the  slinir  that 
they  conld  throw  stones  to  a  hair-breadth  and 
not  miss,  and  able  to  nsc  either  hand  with  eqnal 
skill.  Manasseh,  on  both  sides  of  the  Jordan,  sent 
her  chiefs.  The  national  spirit  was  aroused  aj^ain, 
as  in  the  old  days  when  Joshna  was  the  chosen 
leader.  Rnt  the  cowardly  people  of  Meroz  re- 
fnsed  to  help  ;  the  clans  of  Renben  stayed  amoncr 
their  shecpfolds.  Gad  refnsed  to  ^o\  and  Dan 
stayed  amono^  the  boats  at  Joppa.  Asher  did 
nothing;  and  of  Jndah  and  Simeon  there  is 
silence.  Hanghty  Ephraim  remained  aloof,  bnt 
Zebnlun  and  Naphtali  are  to  earn  an  illustrious 
name. 


294 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


i* ' '  I 


To  Tibor  came  the  patriots.  No  place  could 
be  more  wisely  chosen.  The  people  here  were 
safe  from  the  chariots  of  the  Canaan ites.  The 
summit  furnished  a  view,  as  from  a  watch-tower, 
of  all  the  movements  of  the  Canaanites  in  the 
plain  below.  Sisera  collected  his  forces  in  the 
plain  of  Esdraelon  ;  this  was  really  the  only 
place  in  Northern  Palestine  where  chariots  had 
space  for  their  maneuvers.  He  'vas  about  six- 
teen miles  from  Tabor,  his  headquarters  being  at 
the  town  and  fortress  of  Taanach.  We  have 
already  seen  that  in  all  a^^^es  the  plain  of  Ks- 
draelon  has  })een  the  battlefield  of  I'alestine.  All 
was  ready.  Deborah  cried  to  Barak,  "Up,  this 
is  the  day."  Bravely  down  the  mountain-side 
poured  the  ill-armed  Hebrew  host.  The  tv.o 
forces  were  about  to  meet.  Just  then  a  terrible 
storm  of  sleet  and  hail  from  the  east  burst  over 
the  plain.  It  was  in  the  backs  of  the  Hebrew.s, 
but  in  the  faces  of  the  Canaanites.  "The  stars 
in  their  courses  fouj^ht  aji^ainst  vSisera."  The 
rains  descended,  the  floods  came,  the  winds  blew 
and  beat  upon  the  plain.  The  deep,  red  soil  was 
soon  turned  into  a  quaj:jniirc.  The  rushing  tor- 
rents filled  the  dry  watercourses.  The  chariots 
were  mired.  The  day  was  lost  to  the  Canaan- 
ites. vSisera  leaped  from  his  chariot  and  fled  on 
foot  to  the  northeast,  to  the  slopes  of  Tabor,  and 
finally  sought  refuge  in  the  tent  of  Jael  Heber, 
who  for  the  time  was  his  master's  ally.  Jael, 
the  sheik's  wife,  gave  him  lebben,  a  preparation 
of  curdled  milk,  which  is  refreshing  and  which 
soon  produces  sleep.     See  him  asleep!     See  her 


IV 


MOUNT   TABOR — "  HKICiHT  " 


295 


Standing  over  him  !  Shall  she  violate  all  the 
laws  of  Arab  hospitality?  He  lies  down  with  a 
feeling  of  perfect  safety.  He  is,  doubtless,  in 
the  part  of  the  tent  reserved  for  the  women.  She 
covers  him  with  a  cloak.  Terribl'^  thoughts  are 
in  her  heart.  vShe  is  his  ally  ;  but  his  race  was 
the  U)Q  of  her  race.  There  he  sleej^s  before  her. 
vShall  she  smite  him?  Could  she  not  thus  ren- 
der a  great  service  to  her  kindred?  vSee  him  as 
he  sleeps.  See  her  as  she  takes  up  one  of  the 
tent  pegs  ;  in  her  other  hand  is  the  mallet.  She 
stands  over  the  weary  sleeper.  She  raises  her 
hand.  The  tent  pin  is  at  his  temple;  the  mallet 
is  uplifted.  vShe  gives  the  pin  a  terrible  blow. 
It  goes  crushing  through  his  temples  and  enters 
the  ground.  One  convulsive  bound  and  vSisera 
lies  dead  at  her  feet  as  she  strode  over  him. 
Terrible  was  her  treachery  ! 

Deborah's  victory  was  great.  The  Canaanites 
were  defeated  with  overwhelming  disaster ;  and 
no  battle  afteiward  was  necessary  to  keep  them 
in  subjection.  Israel  also  learned  the  great  ad- 
vantage of  national  union.  This  was  Israel's 
first  great  victory  since  the  days  of  Joshua.  The 
national  degradation  of  Israel  was  ended  when 
their  idolatry  was  abandoned.  God  was  recog- 
nized as  the  author  of  their  victory.  The  mag- 
nificent song  of  Deborah,  worthy  to  be  ranked 
with  the  song  of  Miram,  on  the  shores  of  the 
Red  Sea,  gives  (iod  the  glory.  It  is  for  us  also 
a  two-fold  record  of  the  great  battle  and  the 
sublime  triumph  of  Israel.  It  scorches  Meroz 
for  not  coming  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against 


296 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


'.M 


1}         »'l 


t'^ 


t:l 


the  mighty.  We  cannot  praise  the  act  of  Jael ; 
it  was  a  treacherous  murder.  But  we  must  not 
judge  that  remote  time  and  those  rude  nations 
by  the  standards  of  morality  by  which  we  now 
conduct  wars  and  judge  civilized  peoples.  The 
revelation  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ  has  greatly  ex- 
alted the  standards  of  judgment  on  all  questions 
of  morals.  The  Bible  really  does  not  endorse 
Jael's  deed  ;  although  in  the  exaltation  of  victory 
and  in  the  enthusiasm  of  poetry  Deborah  sings 
of  the  act,  but  only  as  it  bore  on  the  freedom 
and  the  fortunes  of  Israel. 

Tabor  is  referred  to  in  the  vars  of  Gideon.  It 
is  mentioned  in  the  Psalms,  as  we  have  already 
seen,  and  elsewhere  with  beautiful  figurative 
allusions.  The  Prophet  Jeremiah  refers  to  Ta- 
bor ;  so  does  Hosea. 

Tabor,  as  has  been  said,  is  not  mentioned  in 
the  New  Testament,  but  a  tradition,  believed  in 
for  centuries,  made  it  the  holy  mount,  the  mount- 
ain of  our  Lord's  transfiguration.  It  is  now 
clearly  shown  that  the  great  event  took  place 
on  one  of  the  spurs  of  Hermon.  Just  before  the 
transfiguration  Christ  was  at  Cesarea-Philippi, 
and  after  coming  down  from  the  riioinitain,  he 
departed  thence,  and  passed  thronp,!.  Galilee  in 
order  to  get  to  Jerusalem.  In  our  i.c  d's  day 
the  top  of  Tabor  was  occupied  by  a  strongly 
fortified  town  which  had  been  there  for  more 
than  two  hundred  years,  and  was  there  for  sixty 
years  after  Christ's  day,  and  probably  much 
longer  both  before  and  after  the  birth  of  Christ. 
But  the  conspicuous  position  of  Tabor  led  the 


,M! 


:'\ 


MOUNT   TABOR — "  HEIGHT  " 


297 


pilgrims  to  select  it,  and  many  visitors  still  cling 
to  the  old  tradition. 

On  the  summit  the  broad  plateau  is  covered 
with  the  ruins  of  buildings  of  many  centuries; 
there  are  remains  of  houses,  towers,  cisterns,  and 
vaults ;  the  last  have  been  used  as  chapels  and 
altars.  These  probably  belonged  to  the  time  of 
the  crusaders.  Efforts  are  now  making  to  erect 
a  church  on  the  summit.  Latin  priests  come 
from  Nazareth  once  a  year  to  celebrate  the  mass. 
The  Greeks  aiso  hold  various  services.  Some 
monks  and  other  religious  enthusiasts  have  spent 
many  years  on  the  top  of  the  mountain  waiting 
for  the  second  coming  of  Christ. 

In  the  gallery  of  memory  Tabor  will  ever  live 
as  a  beautiful  picture.     I  still  see  it  rising  in  its 
unique  symmetry  from  the  plain.     It  is  a  majes- 
tic witness  to  the  truth  of  Scripture.     It  has 
looked  down  on  the  wonderful  history  enacted 
in  that  historic  plain  of  Esdraelon.     Its  dews 
have  moistened  the  battleflags  of  nearly  all  the 
great  nations  under  heaven.    It  has  seen  glorious 
victories  and  terrible  defeats;  it  has  heard  the 
shouts  of  the  victors  and  the  groans  of  the  van- 
quished.    The  eyes  of  some  of  the  world's  great- 
est soldiers  have  been  lifted  to  its  summit.     But 
most  of  all,  is  it  beautiful  to  us  because  Christ 
saw  it,  perhaps  rejoiced  in  its  beauty,  and  drew 
inspiration    from    its   sublimity.      His    presence 
gives  beauty  and  glory  to  Palestine.     His  rela- 
tion to  our  world  as  its  Creator,  Preserver,  and 
Redeemer  gives  our  planet  its  chief  dignity  and 
charm.    We  do  not  know  what  honors  may  have 


[■J.  ( lli 


298 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   I.ECTURKS 


been  given  to  other  worlds,  but  it  is  enough  for 
us  to  know  that  in  this  world  Jesus  Christ  was 
born,  that  here  he  lived,  here  he  died,  and  from 
it  he  ascended  to  the  vacant  place  by  his  Father's 
side.  These  great  truths  have  made  the  whole 
world  vocal  with  Christ's  name,  resplendent  with 
his  glory,  and  prophetic  of  his  triumph. 

Superb,  majestic,  unique  Tabor !  Thou  wert 
beautiful  to  sight,  instructive  to  faith,  and  in- 
spiring to  hope,  and  thou  shalt  be  forever  fragrant 
in  memory.  Regarding  Christ  we  shall  ever  say  : 
"  Tabor  and  Hermon  shall  rejoice  in  thy  name." 


.1!  ?  I 


•  It 


li  !'' 


ii^ 


Ii  for 
was 
from 
tier's 
hole 
with 

wert 
I  in- 
rant 
say : 


tie, 


)) 


XXVIII 

NAZARETH — "THE   GUARDED   ONE" 

VERY  tender  thoii^g^hts  come  into  our  hearts 
as  we  ride  toward  Nazareth.     The  orijrin 
of  the  word  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  deter- 
mine.     Some   have   supposed   that   it   is   from 
"  Netser,"  meaning  a  sprout,  but  Dr.  Selah  Mer- 
rill, in  his  monograph  entitled,  "  Galilee  in  the 
Time  of  Christ,"  gives  quite  a  different  interpre- 
tation.    Admitting   that   none  can  decide  defi- 
nitely as  to  its  meaning,  he  proceeds  to  reject  the 
explanation  which  derives  it  from  the  Hebrew 
word    meaning  consecrated  or  dei^oted  to  God  ; 
also  that  which  derives  it  from  the  word  mean- 
ing my  Saviour;  and  likewise  the  popular  inter- 
pretation which  derives  it  from  a  shoot  or  sprout. 
He  believes  that  the  hill  behind  the  present  town 
must  always  have  had  a  name.     This  hill  com- 
mands a  wonderful  prospect.    He  inclines  to  the 
interpretation  of  the  word  which  makes  it  mean 
"one  guarding."     But  the  word  may  mean,  as 
applied  to  the  town,  "the  watched  or  guarded 
one."  ^    He   takes    very   strong   ground    against 
what  is  so  often  said  regarding  the  absolute  se- 
clusion of  Nazareth  as  the  home  of  Christ ;  and 
he  is  also  warmly  opposed  to  the  idea  that  Naza- 
reth, or  Galilee,  was  really  regarded  with  con. 

299 


300 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


\^l 


^n\ 


'ii 


a,    r  "    fit 'i'»  '  ■'■ 


i 


tempt  by  the  people  of  Jerusaleni.  He  inter- 
prets the  language  of  Nathanael,  and  other 
references  to  Nazareth,  in  such  a  way  as  to  re- 
lieve the  town  of  tiie  unfavorable  opinion  which 
has  so  frequently  been  associated  with  the  name. 
He  calls  especial  attention  to  the  fact  that  Naza- 
reth was  not  called  a  village,  but  a  city ;  and 
he  endorses  tlie  opinion  of  Josephus  regarding 
the  extent  of  Galilee,  and  the  great  number  of 
inhabitants  to  the  square  mile.  He  supposes 
that  Galilee  may  have  supported  a  population  of 
three  millions,  and  that  it  was  a  region  of  great 
natural  fertility  and  richness.  He  claims  that 
the  Sea  of  Galilee  was  a  focus  of  life  and  activ- 
ity, and  that  the  Galileans  were  truly  a  Jewish 
people,  and  that  religion,  education,  and  morals, 
as  well  as  poetic  talent,  had  reached  among  them 
a  high  degree  of  development.  He  also  makes 
the  province  notable  for  its  material  prosperity 
and  wealth.  If  he  has  not  entirely  proved  his 
points,  he  certainly  has  done  something  toward 
silencing  his  opposers. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  drift  of 
scholarship  in  our  times  is  in  the  direction  of 
giving  Nazareth  a  prominence  long  denied  the 
town,  and  so  greater  honor  as  the  place  of  our 
Lord's  home  in  his  boyhood.  Dr.  George  Adam 
Smith,  in  his  really  great  book,  "  The  Historical 
Geography  of  the  Holy  Land,"  endorses  the  idea 
that  Nazareth  was  not  the  secluded  and  dishon- 
ored village  that  many  suppose ;  and  he  quotes 
Mr.  Walter  Besant's  lecture  on  the  "Work  of 
the  Palestine  Exploration  Fund,"  as  taking  the 


NAZARETH — "THE   GUARDED    ONE"        3OI 


same  ground.  Mr.  Besant  says  :  "  Palestine  was 
not  an  obscure  country.  .  .  He  who  wandered 
among  the  hills  and  valleys  of  Galilee  was  never 
far  from  some  great  and  populous  city.  .  .  It 
was  not  as  a  rustic  preaching  to  rustics  that  our 
Lord  went  about."  He  shows  how  Christ  was 
often  in  the  midst  of  busy  and  populous  cities 
and  always  surrounded  by  evidences  of  Roniaii 
civilization.  It  is  likely  that  the  investigations 
of  the  next  few  years  will  give  new  interpreta- 
tions to  many  Scripture  references  to  Nazareth 
and  to  Galilee,  and  thus  give  honor  to  places 
long  under  the  ban  in  popular  opinion. 

None  can  read  of  Nazareth,  and  certainly  none 
can  visit  the  town,  without  emotions  of  great 
interest  and  tenderness.  The  chief  interest  at- 
taching to  the  place  is  that  it  was  for  thirty 
years  the  home  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  a  city  of 
lower  Galilee  about  sixty-five  miles  north  of 
Jerusalem,  and  belongs  to  the  territory  of  the 
tribe  of  Zebulun.  It  is  nearly  six  miles  north- 
west of  Mount  Tabor,  and  about  midway  from 
the  Jordan  to  the  Mediterranean.  IVIention  is 
not  made  of  it  in  the  Old  Testament,  nor  is  it 
found  in  the  writings  of  Josephus.  The  city 
overlooks  from  the  northwest  a  rich  and  fruitful 
valley,  while  it  is  surrounded  by  hills  between 
which  there  is  a  narrow  opening  to  the  plain  of 
Esdraelon.  The  city  clings  to  the  eastern  slope 
of  the  hill,  which  is  one  of  the  fifteen  hills  en- 
circling it,  and  almost  hiding  it  from  view  until 
the  traveler  has  actually  come  upon  it.  Some 
one  has  called  the  city  a  rose,  and  has  spoken  of 


ptULJUi 


302 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURKS 


'.t-l 


it! 


iiM 


I  '11 


tlie  mountains  around  it  as  a  part  of  ♦^he  rounded 
leaves  of  the  flower.  The  vale  in  which  Naza- 
reth nestles  is  about  a  mile  long  by  one-half 
wide,  and  resembles  a  circular  basin  shut  in  by 
hills,  along  the  lower  edge  of  which  lies  Naza- 
reth. The  hills  vary  from  four  to  five  hundred 
feet  in  height ;  and  the  valley  is  a  rich  and 
beautiful  spot  in  the  midst  of  barren  hills.  The 
town,  especially  as  seen  from  the  enclosing  hills, 
is  very  picturesque.  It  is  difficult  to  arrive  at  a 
correct  estimate  of  the  population.  Some  make 
it  about  five  thousand  ;  while  others  say  that  it 
is  at  least  ten  thousand.  Perhaps  three-quarters 
of  the  population  belong  to  various  Christian 
communities.  Its  houses  are  white,  and  present 
an  appearance  of  industry  and  prosperity  rare  in 
Oriental  towns.  Its  streets  are  narrow  and  wind- 
ing ;  convent  buildings  are  numerous,  the  tall 
minaret  of  the  mosque  being  conspicuous.  Gar- 
dens of  figs,  olives,  oranges,  and  pomegranates 
surround  the  village  thus  beautifully  nestling 
among  the  sturdy  hills,  whose  people  certainly 
are  more  remarkable  for  kindness,  intelligence, 
industry,  and  prosperity  than  are  those  of  any 
other  town  or  city  in  Palestine.  The  women  are 
proverbial  for  their  beauty,  being  with  those  of 
Bethlehem  the  handsomest  women  in  Palestine. 
In  this  respect  they  are  quite  marked ;  their 
complexions  are  fairer,  their  forms  more  grace- 
ful, and  their  whole  address  more  attractive  than 
those  of  any  other  women  to  be  found  in  the 
land.  Approaching  Nazareth  we  notice  the  vil- 
lage of  Iksal.     This  is  supposed  to  be  the  Chis- 


,1 


NAZARETH— "  THE  GUARDED  ONE"   303 

loth-Tabor,  meaning  "flank  of  Tabor,"  men- 
tioned in  Josh.  19  :  12.  The  hill  here  is  precip- 
itous, and  there  is  a  tradition  that  it  was  from  this 
point  that  the  people  wished  to  cast  Christ  down 
headlong  ;  but  this  is  one  of  the  most  worthless 
traditions  connected  with  any  place  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Nazareth. 

The  history  of  Nazareth  dates  from  the  time 
of  Christ,  but  until  the  time  of  Constantine  it  at- 
tracted but  little  attention.  The  modern  name 
is  En-Nasirah.  Until  the  time  of  Constantine 
the  town  was  inhabited  chiefly  by  Samaritan 
Jews ;  later  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Greeks, 
Franks,  and  Arabs,  and  in  it  crusaders  built 
churches  which  the  Arabs  destroyed.  The 
Christians  did  not  really  get  a  foothold  until 
the  eighteenth  century.  Pasha  Jezzar  laid  a 
plot  to  murder  all  Christians  as  soon  as  the 
French  under  Napoleon  hat'  evacuated  the  place, 
but  an  English  admiral  defeated  his  Satanic 
schem.e. 

Here  lived  Joseph  and  ]\Iary,  and  here  was  the 
scene  of  the  annunciation.^  From  Nazareth 
Joseph  and  Mary  went  up  to  Bethlehem  to  be 
taxed,  and  after  their  return  from  Egypt  it  was 
their  home  until  Christ  entered  on  his  public 
ministry.2  From  Nazareth  Jesus  went  to  the 
Jordan  to  be  baptized  of  John  when  he  entered 
his  public  ministry,*'  and  here  he  returned  after 
these  events.*  Wiien  the  people  of  his  own  city 
rose  up  to  thrust  him  from  the  brow  of  the  hill. 


*  Luke  I  :  26,  27. 


'^  Matt.  2  :  23. 
*  Luke  4  :  16. 


Matt.  3  :  13. 


304 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    LKCTURKS 


he  passed  through  the  midst  of  them  and  went 
to  Capernaum.'  Ever  after  liis  rejection  by  his 
townspeople  he  considered  Capernaum  as  his 
own  city ;  and  so  far  as  we  know  he  does  not 
seem  ever  again  to  have  visited  his  early  home, 
although  he  must  often  have  seen  it  in  the  dis- 
tance while  on  his  journey  to  Jerusalem. 

Places  of  Interkst  in  Nazareth. — The 
Latin  convent  is  enclosed  with  high  walls  and 
contains  the  church  of  the  Annunciation.  The 
high  altar  is  dedicated  to  the  Angel  Gabriel  and 
below  the  altar  is  the  chapel  of  the  Angels,  and 
near  it  is  the  chapel  of  the  Annunciation.  There 
is  in  this  chapel  a  memorable  altar  with  the  in- 
scription :  Hie  vcrbiim  caro  factum  est — "  Here 
the  Word  was  made  flesh."  Columns  mark  the 
supposed  places  where  Mary  and  the  angel  stood. 
The  column  marking  the  spot  on  which  Mary 
stood  is  broken  ;  and  tradition  affirms  that  this 
was  the  work  of  enemies,  and  that  the  column  in 
a  miraculous  way  retains  its  position.  A  door- 
way leads  to  the  chapel  of  Joseph,  and  then  a 
stairway  to  the  kitchen  of  the  Virgin.  This 
kitchen  altar,  however,  is  a  mere  cave,  the  mouth 
being  pointed  out  as  the  chimney.  The  Holy 
House  of  Nazareth  is  not  here.  Tradition  tells 
us  that  it  was  carried  to  Loreto  in  Italy.  This 
tradition  affirms  that  the  Casa  Santa,  or  Holy 
House,  was  brought  by  angels  to  a  spot  on  the 
coast  of  Dalmatia,  that  there  it  rested  for  three 

^  Luke  4  :  29-31. 


'    , 


t 


^ZARKTH— "TIIK   GUARDED   ONK  "       305 


years,  and  was  then  carried  off  at  niVlit  bv 
angels,  to  the  property  of  a  certain  widow  named 
Ivaureta,  hence  the  name  Loreto.  This  tradition 
was  so  generally  believed  by  ignorant  and  super- 
stitious Romanists,  that  a  church  was  built  and 
a  village  CO  lected  at  the  place,  and  Pope  Sixtus 

that  a  half-niillion  pilgrims  annually  resort  to 
this  pace;  which  is  thus  one  of  the  most  fre- 
quent y  visited  places  in  Christendom.  The 
legend,  however,  fails  to  tell  how  the  white  stone 
of  i\azaretli  vyas  changed  into  the  red  stone  of 
Loreto ;  but  if  the  transportation  occasions  one 
no  difficulty  of  belief  he  should  not  stumble  at 
the  change  of  color. 

The  workshop   of  Joseph  is   in  the  Moslem 
quarter,  but  is  in  possession  of  the  Latins.     The 
most  credulous  people,  however,  claim  only  a 
small  part  of  the  wall  as  that  of   the   oriental 
workshop.     What  is  called  the  table  of  Christ 
where  he  ate  with  his  disciples,  is  also  pointed 
out.     The  synagogue  where  he  is  said  to  have 
taught  IS  in  the  possession  of  the  United  Greeks 
I  ^vent  up  with  my  dragoman  the  winding  way 
which  led  to  the  top  of  the  mount  of  Predpita- 
tion,  and  there  is  almost  no  doubt  but  that  this 
IS  the  true  location.     The  moment  one  sees  this 
place  he  feels  that  it  corresponds  to  all  the  de- 
scriptions given  in  the  gospel   narrative.     The 
other  place  pointed  out  is  at  least  two  miles  from 
the  heart  of  the  town,  and  is  altogether  an  ini- 
probable  site. 

There  is  no  place  in  Nazareth  more  sacred  in 

u 


3o6 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   I.KCTURKS 


1    ,    •' 


all  its  associations  than  the  fountain  of  the 
Virg^in,  where  is  still  a  plentiful  spring  pouring 
out  its  water  from  three  mouths.  Above  it  there 
is  another  church  of  the  Annunciation,  which 
is  the  property  of  the  Orthodox  (ireeks.  Arriv- 
ing at  Nazareth  soon  after  noon,  I  had  time  for 
needed  rest  before  visiting  its  places  of  interest ; 
and  I  went  several  times  to  this  fountain.  A 
beautiful  sight  it  was  in  the  evening  to  see  the 
mothers  with  their  children,  both  boys  and  girls, 
gathered  in  large  numbers,  and  in  their  strik- 
ingly picturesque  costumes,  at  this  well.  Ciroups 
were  waiting  while  others  were  filling  their  jars, 
which  were  then  lifted  to  the  head,  while  the 
women  walked  off  with  ease  and  grace,  carrying 
their  heavy  load.  Other'  then  step  forward  to 
fill  their  pitchers,  and  s<  e  process  continues. 
The  sight  was  most  in.^..^ssive  and  beautiful. 
As  one  looked  at  these  graceful  women  accom- 
panied by  their  children,  he  could  not  help  feel- 
ing that  often  Mary  and  the  infant  Saviour  had 
come  to  this  well,  had  filled  their  pitcher,  and 
had  gone  back  to  their  home,  as  we  saw  mothers 
and  children  doing  that  evening.  It  was  easy  to 
feel  that  often  the  boy  Christ  stopped  at  this  well 
on  his  way  home  after  a  day  of  rambling  on  the 
adjoining  hills.  Perhaps  at  no  time  thus  far 
during  my  visit  in  Palestine  was  I  conscious  of 
coming  into  closer  touch  with  the  life  of  Christ 
than  as  I  sat  at  evening's  holy  and  beautiful 
hour  at  the  fountain  of  the  Virgin. 

Much  excellent  Protestant  religious  work  is 
going  on  in  Nazareth,  the  church  being  a  hand- 


!M 


fl  V 


NAZARKTH — *"riIK   (IL'ARDKl)   OXI-"        307 


feel- 
had 
and 
thers 
Lsy  to 
well 
the 
far 
.IS  of 
Ihrist 
tiful 

\k  is 
land- 


soiiie  l)iiildinj^  under  the  direelioji  of  the  Chnreh 
Missionary  Soeiety,  while  the  number  of  I'rotes- 
tant  coniniunieants  is  considerable.  The  (lirls' 
Orphanaj^^e  is  in  a  llourishin^^  state,  and  the 
Christian  atmosphere  of  Na/arelli  is  favorable 
to  the  development  of  tile  nobler  qualities  of 
manhood.  ^Iohammedanism  and  heathenism 
take  the  crown  from  every  woman's  brow. 
Christianity  is  the  one  faith  which  j^Mves  her  true 
dignity  and  becomiuj^  reverence  and  she  is  hon- 
ored just  in  proportion  as  it  is  believed  and  its 
precepts  obeyed. 

I  have  had  occasion  frequently  to  speak  of 
some  of  the  ^rand  prospects  in  Palestine.  One 
of  the  most  magnificent  is  from  the  summit  of 
the  hill  on  the  eastern  slope  of  which  lies 
Nazareth.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  comming- 
ling of  tender  emotions  as  I  thought  of  Christ's 
home  in  the  town,  and  of  the  glorious  view 
stretched  out  on  every  side.  This  view,  doubt- 
less, our  Lord  often  enjoyed.  His  nature  was 
open  to  appreciation  of  the  beautiful  in  all 
departments  of  his  own  creation.  How  his  soul 
must  have  drunk  in  the  beauties  stretching  out 
before  him  !  On  the  north  were  the  ridges  of 
Lebanon,  and  above  all  the  majestic  top  of  snow- 
crowned  Hermon.  On  the  west  was  Carmel, 
with  glimpses  of  the  Mediterranean.  East  and 
.southeast  were  Tabor  and  Gilboa.  To  the  east 
of  the  Jordan  were  the  heights  of  Bashan.  On 
the  beautiful  plain  were  Nain,  Kndor,  and  Jez- 
reel,  and  at  our  feet  lay  the  town  in  which  the 
divine  Redeemer  spent  his  boyhood. 


3o8 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


WVi      '■ 


■■  1, 


No  one  can  mention  the  name  of  Nazareth  in 
connection  with  the  life  of  Christ  without  being 
reminded  of  the  lesson  of  obedience  which  he 
rendered  to  his  parents.  For  eighteen  years  the 
curtain  does  not  lift  upon  his  experiences  in  the 
quiet  home  in  this  city.  One  often  wishes  to 
know  more  thar.  is  revealed  to  us  concerning  his 
quiet  life  in  Nazareth,  but  the  hints  which  are 
given  are  profoundly  suggestive.  They  teach  us 
that  he  was  willing  to  subject  himself  to  the 
authority  of  his  earthly  parents.  Here  in  this 
secluded  home  he  had  opportunities  for  studying 
the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  for  communing 
with  nature,  and  for  developing  a  life  of  self- 
reliance  as  he  toiled  at  liie  carpenter's  bench. 
We  cannot  overestimate  the  value  in  the  spirit- 
ual life  of  these  years  of  retirement  and  silence. 

He  sets  before  us  an  example  of  a  life  of 
humble  industry.  As  he  left  his  Father's  house 
in  heaven  for  earth,  so  after  his  visit  to  Jerusa- 
lem, when  twelve  years  old,  he  left  his  Father's 
earthly  house  for  his  humble  home  at  Nazareth. 
For  eighteen  years  after  his  visit  to  the  temple 
he  lived  there  in  obscurity  until  he  came  to  the 
Jordan  to  be  baptized  of  John.  His  was  a  per- 
fect childhood,  and  an  olDcdient  youthhood,  as 
well  as  an  ideal  manhood.  There  is  in  many 
respects  a  greater  charm  about  Christ  as  the  per- 
fect boy  than  as  the  perfect  man.  He,  no  doubt, 
learned  his  fatlier's  trade  and  humbly  worked  at 
it  with  his  father,  and  possibly  helped  to  support 
his  mother  after  liis  earthly  father's  death  ;  for  it 
is  altogether  likely  that  Joseph  died  before  Jesus 


NAZARETH— "THE   GUARDED   ONE"       309 


entered  upon  his  public  ministrv.  It  is  worth 
much  that  Jesus  was  born  poor,  and  lived  under 
the  necessity  of  performing  daily  toil  for  daily 
need.  This  thought  of  Christ  gives  him  power 
in  the  world  to-day.  He  is  the  poor  man's  best 
friend.  Had  he  come  into  the  world  rich  he 
would  be  shorn  of  much  of  his  power.  He 
teaches  us  also  to  bide  our  time  and  thoroughly 
to  prepare  ourselves  for  our  public  duties.  Dur- 
ing all  these  years  he  performed  no  miracle, 

that  fact  alone  is  almost  a  miracle.     He  learned 

much  frou'  his   mother.     It  was   his   habit   to 

attend  the  school  of  the  synagogue,  and  on  th. 

Sabbath  to  participate  publicly  in   its  services. 

He  learned  most  from  the  immediate  knowledge 

he  had  of  his  Father's  will.     In  the  depths  of 

his  soul  he  heard  his  Father's  voice  as  truly  as 

Adam  in  his  innocence  heard  the  voice  of  God 

in  paradise.     We  are  in  too  great  haste  to  begin 

oi\T  work,  and  so  we  neglect  proper  preparation. 

Evermore  Nazareth  shall  speak  to  me  with  a 

voice  of  tc   derness  regarding  all  the  relations  of 

husband  and  wife,  of  father  and  child,  and  of 

both  to  the  great  God  in  heaven,  Christ's  Father 

and  ours. 


XXIX 


CANA   OF  GALILEE 


WE  left  Nazareth  early  in  the  morninj^. 
Now,  as  ill  the  early  days,  travelers  in 
the  Orient  are  accnstomed  to  start  early,  before 
the  sun  reaches  its  great  heat.  The  first  village 
which  we  pass  is  Reiiieh,  but  it  has  no  special 
historical  associations.  Near  the  roadside,  how- 
ever, there  stands  an  old  sarcophagus  ;  once  it 
was  richly  ornamented  and  traces  of  its  former 
superior  workmanship  yet  remain,  although  now 
it  is  used  as  the  common  water  trough  of  the 
village.  On  the  top  of  a  hill  on  our  left,  as  we 
ride  toward  Cana,  is  the  village  of  Aleshad,  as  it 
is  now  called,  supposed  to  be  the  ancient  Gath- 
hepher.  It  belonged  to  the  children  of  Zebulun, 
and  was  the  birthplace  of  the  prophet  "Jonah, 
the  son  of  Amittai,  the  prophet,  who  was  of 
Gath-hepher."  ^  It  lay  not  far  from  Sepphoris 
on  the  road  to  the  south  of  Galilee,  and  here 
tradition  locates  the  tomb  of  Jonah  ;  but  of  this 
there  is  no  certainty. 

We  soon  reached  Cana,  so  supposed,  where 
Christ  performed  his  first  miracle  by  turning 
water  into  wine.  Some  travelers,  and  among 
them  Drs.  Robinson  and  Porter,  object  to  this 


'  2  Kings  14  :  25. 


310 


" 


CANA  OF  GAULEE 


3" 


village  as  the  site  of  the  ancient  Cana.     They 
located   it  at   Kana-el-Jelil  near  Sepphoris,  and 
about  nine  miles  north  of  Nazareth.     It  is  by  no 
means  certain  which  is  the  true  site.    The  name 
Kana-el-Jelil  has  the  stronger  probability ;  but 
the  location  is  in  favor  of  Kefr   Kenna.     For 
some  time  after  Dr.  Robinson's  day  the  other 
town   was  generally  accepted ;  but  the  former 
opinion  is  fast  reasserting  itself,  and  Kefr  Kenna 
is  coming  to  be  very  generally  considered  as  the 
true  Cana  of  Galilee.       It  is   about   three   and 
a  half  to  four  miles  east  of  Nazareth  on  tlie  road 
to  Tiberias.     The  tradition  connecting  this  spot 
with  Cana  of  Galilee  is  very  ancient,  it  having 
been  found  in  the  eighth  century.    It  is  a  small, 
neat-looking  village,  pleasantly  situated  on  the 
descent  of  a  hill  looking  to  the  southwest  and 
is  surrounded  by  olive  and  other  fruit  trees,  such 
as  figs  and  pomegranates.    There  is  in  the  vicin- 
ity a  large  spring  enclosed   by  a  wall ;  and,  if 
this  is  the  true  Cana,  as  I  think  it  is,  the  water 
used  at  the  marriage  feast  at  the  time  of  cur 
Lord's  visit  was  almost  certainly  drawn    from 
this  spring.     Water-pots  of  compact  limestone 
are  still  used  in  this  neighborhood.     There  is 
a  small  Greek  church,  and  it  is  declared  that 
one  of  the  very  waterpots  used  at  the  marriage 
feast  may  be  seen  here.     A  house  said   to  be 
that  of  Nathanael,  who  was  a  native  of  Cana,  is 
pointed  out.    The  church  is  said  to  stand  on  the 
site  of  the  house  in  which  the  miracle  of  chan- 
ging the  water  into  wine  was  performed.     The 
Christians  of  the  village  are  mostly  of  the  Greek 


312 


SUNDAY  NIGHT  LECTURES 


Vi 


;  !  ■    •■ 


Church.  It  is  said  that  in  the  time  of  the  Cru- 
sades six  of  the  waterpots  were  brought  to 
France,  where  one  of  them  is  said  still  to  re- 
main intact  in  the  Mus^e  d'Angers. 

Here  it  was  that  our  Lord  performed  his  first 
miracle/  and  here  also/  he  healed  by  a  word  the 
nobleman's  son.  This  nobleman  was,  in  all 
probability,  a  Jew.  He  came  not  as  did  the 
heathen  centurion,  pleading  for  his  servant,  but 
for  his  son.  By  the  record  in  John  4  :  46-54, 
we  see  that  the  nobleman  himself  came  to  plead 
for  his  son.  He  limited  Christ's  power  to  his 
actual  presence.  Some  suppose  that  this  noble- 
man was  a  civil  or  military  officer  in  service  of 
Herod  Antipas.  It  has  been  suggested  that  he 
may  have  been  the  "  Chuza,  Herod's  steward," 
whose  wife  Joanna  afterward  ministered  to  Jesus. 
His  son  was  sick  at  Capt.naum,  on  the  north- 
west shore  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  about  fifteen 
miles  away.  The  man  was  very  earnest  as  he 
said,  "  Sir,  come  down  ere  my  child  die."  In 
Christ's  answer  there  was  a  mingling  of  rebuke 
and  encouragement.  Christ  tried  the  noble- 
man's faith,  but  in  the  trial  sent  him  away  with 
this  sweet  assurance,  "Go  thy  way,  thy  son 
liveth." 

The  man's  imperfect  faith  was  answered,  but 
in  such  a  way  as  to  humble  him  and  honor 
Christ.  Jesus  answered  this  man  of  rank  with 
calmness,  dignity,  and  authority.  He  gave  him 
no  flattery  ;  he  showed  no  obsequiousness.    Jesus 


11 


I  '  /'■ 


*  John  2  :  i-ii. 


John  4  :  46-54. 


ti  t 


CANA   OF  GALILEE 


^-^3 

would  not  leave  his  appointed  sphere  or  place  of 
duty.  He  could  and  would  heal  the  sick  bov 
\yUhout  seeing  his  face.  Happy  father,  he  be- 
heyed !  happy  boy,  he  was  healed !  See  the 
fatlier  going  home,  and  his  servants  nieetincr 
him!  K.'ar  them  saying,  ''Thy  son  liveth." 
He  earns  upon  inquiry  that  at  the  same  hour 
at  which  Jesus  said,  "  Thy  son  liveth,"  the  fever 
left  him. 

This  miracle  at  Cana  was,  as  we  are  here  in- 
formed, "the  beginning  of   miracles."     It  is  a 
remarkable  thing  that  Christ  did  not  perform 
miracles  until   now.     The  Apocryphal  Gospels 
represent  him  as  having  performed  many  niira- 
cles  during  his   boyhood   and    early   manhood. 
One  has  only  to  compare  the  accounts  of  those 
miracles  with  the  true  to  see  the  difference  be- 
tween inspired  and  uninspired  writings.     They 
are  frivolous,  puerile,  and  often  ludicrous.    They 
lack  the  majesty,  dignity,  and  diviiiitv  of  the 
gospel  narratives.     Christ  bided  his  time.     This 
miracle    began    the   series.     This   inauguration 
was  as  significant  in  its  prophetic  meaning  re- 
garding  his   earthly  ministry  as   was    his   first 
parable.     The  first  parable  was  that  of  "The 
Sower."     It   suggests   the   whole    work   of  our 
I.ord  in  his  public  ministry.     He  came  to  sow 
the   good   seed    of   the   kingdom."     Not   less 
prophetic  is  this  first  miracle.     It  suggests  the 
whole    purpose   of    Christ's    earthly    life       He 
came^  to   ennoble,  to   transmute,  to  glorify,  to 
divinize.     As  he  now  turned  water  into  wine 
so  his  entire  ministry  was  to   be  the  turning 


i; 


of  the  water  of  earth  into  the  wine  of  heaven. 
It  is  profoundly  significant  that  he  should 
have  inaugurated  his  miracles  with  one  which 
is  so  prophetic  of  his  entire  earthly  work.  The 
mother  of  Jesus  was  at  this  marriage  feast, 
while  it  is  altogether  probable  that  Joseph  was 
dead.  He  has  at  this  time  entirely  disappeared 
from  the  history.  He  was  last  mentioned  on  the 
occasion  of  Christ's  visit  to  the  temple,  now 
more  than  eighteen  years  before.  The  disciples 
who  were  present  on  this  occasion  were  probably 
Andrew,  Peter,  Philip,  Nathanael,  and  John 
himself.  They  had  recently  become  attached  to 
Christ  as  their  Lord  and  Master.  It  is  instruc- 
tive that  they  should  be  witnesses  of  this  first 
miracle. 

It  is  not  at  all  surprising  that  Jesus  performed 
his  first  miracle  at  a  wedding  feast.  He  was  not 
an  ascetic  ;  he  was  a  man  among  men  ;  he  came 
to  sanctify  and  glorify  all  forms  of  true  and 
noble  life.  He  was  not  a  John  the  Baptist,  se- 
cluding himself  from  the  social  festivities  of  life. 
He  loved  the  homes  and  the  innocent  joys  of  the 
families  with  whom  he  associated.  Jesus  was 
for  all  times  and  all  civilizations.  He  is  the 
contemporary  of  all  generations  and  individuals. 
This  element  in  his  life  is  absolutely  imique. 
He  belongs  to  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury as  much  as  he  did  to  the  opening  of  the 
first  century.  He  sanctifies  our  joy  as  truly  as 
our  sorrow  ;  but  it  is  especially  significant  that 
he  should  have  performed  this  miracle  at  a  mar- 
riage feast.    His  example  in  this  respect  rebukes 


\m 


CANA   OF  GALILEE 


315 


now 


the  teaching  and  practice  of  the  Roman  Clinrch 
to-day.  He  foresaw  that  the  time  wonl-'!  come 
when  in  the  church  called  by  his  name  men 
would  despise  marriage.  It  was  most  important 
that  he  should  rebuke  this  unchristian  doctrine. 
All  who  so  teach  find  no  authority  in  the  words 
or  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  nowhere 
gives  undue  emphasis  to  celibacy.  No  church 
has  a  right  to  represent  the  marriage  state  as 
being  less  holy  and  beautiful  than  that  of  celi- 
bacy. By  anticipation  he  rebuked  many  of  the 
other  doctrines  also  which  are  taught  in  the 
Roman  Church  to-day.  It  would  seem  as  if  he 
distinctly  foresaw  them  and  took  pains  to  put 
upon  them  the  stamp  of  his  disapproval. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  he  here  seemed  to  put 
a  certain  slight  on  his  mother.  Romanist  inter- 
preters have  striven  in  vain  to  remove  from  his 
words,  "  Woman,  what  have  I  to  do  with  thee  ?  " 
the  element  of  rebuke  which  they  contain.  The 
mere  word,  "  woman  "  has  in  it  no  suggestion  of 
severity.  When  he  was  upon  the  cross  and 
when  he  committed  his  mother  to  the  care  of 
the  beloved  John  he  said,  "  Woman,  behold  thy 
son."  But  when  he  said,  at  the  marriage  feast, 
"What  have  I  to  do  with  thee?"  he  distinctly 
gave  his  mother  a  slight  rebuke.  The  words 
mean  that  now  there  was  not  the  common 
ground  between  them  which  had  characterized 
their  former  relations.  She  must  understand 
that  she  is  not  to  control  his  acts  in  this  new 
sphere  on  which  he  has  entered.  Entire  essays 
have    been    written    on   these   words;   but   no 


3i6 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


Ai>i 


M'l 


,lij 


amount  of  exegetical  acumen  will  remove  from 
them  the  tone  of  gentle  and  needed  rebuke 
which  they  suggest.  His  mother  seems  to  have 
understood,  partly  at  least,  their  meaning.  She 
gave  a  right  command  to  the  servants,  "  What- 
soever he  saith  unto  you,  do  it." 

Christ  beautifully  supplies  the  wants  of  others. 
This  thought  is  clearly  suggested  by  his  entire 
conduct  on  this  occasion.  Perhaps  he  was  influ- 
enced by  the  fear  that  the  hosts  might  be  humil- 
iated by  the  discovery  that  their  supply  of  wine 
was  exhausted.  He  also  made  most  abundant 
provision  for  the  wants  of  the  waiting  guests.  It 
is  not  my  purpose  to  go  into  the  discussion  of 
the  question  as  to  the  kind  of  wine  which  Christ 
here  made.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  it  cer- 
tainly was  wine,  and  it  was  such  wine  as  the 
governor  of  the  feast  considered  remarkably 
good.  I  am  well  aware  of  the  various  interpre- 
tations that  are  given  to  these  words  ;  but  it  does 
not  seem  necessary  to  go  into  the  matter  in 
detail.  We  are  safe  in  saying  that  Christ  did 
not  make  the  poisonous  stuff  which  is  so  often 
sold  to-day  as  wine.  The  quantity  was  certainly 
very  great.  It  is  said  that  it  was  not  less  than 
one  hundred  and  twenty-six  gallons,  or  about 
four  barrels.  Perhaps  this  great  quantity  was 
needed  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  company 
which  probably  was  very  large,  as  the  fame  of 
Jesus  would  doubtless  bring  the  people  from 
many  parts  of  the  country.  If  any  wine  were 
left  over,  this  abundant  provision  would  be  in 
harmony  with  God's  usual  course,  as  he  always 


CANA  OF  GALILEE 


317 


gives  bountifully.  Wine  is  not  now  extensively 
made  or  used  in  Palestine,  and  the  influence  of 
Mohammedans  and  ^lohaniniedanism  is  dis- 
tinctly against  the  making  or  drinking  of  wine. 
Nature  is  always  changing  water  into  the 
juice  ot  the  grape  ;  and  all  that  Christ  did  on 
this  occasion  was  to  hasten  the  process.  This 
remark  will  apply  to  all  of  Christ's  miracles. 
Health  is  the  normal  condition  of  the  human 
body  ;  sickness  is  abnormal,  Christ  came  to  re- 
store physical  and  spiritual  normality.  Re- 
ligion is  the  restoration  of  spiritual  normality. 
It  is  most  interesting  to  see  that  in  one  sense 
miracles  are  not  miraculous.  Christ  introduced 
in  the  performance  of  a  miracle  a  higher  law 
which  for  the  time  being  held  the  lower  law  in 
check.  It  is  a  beautiful  line  given  us  by  Cra- 
shaw : 

The  conscious  water  saw  its  God  and  blushed. 

There  was  here,  as  in  all  of  Christ's  miracles,  an 
acceleration  of  processes  which  are  continually 
going  forward  in  the  ordinary  operations  of  what 
we  call  natural  law.  There  is  a  sphere  known 
fully  to  God,  but  only  partially  to  us,  in  which 
all  natural  law  is  supernatural  and  all  super- 
natural law  is  natural  law. 

Christ  always  gives  the  best  last.  This  is  a 
most  sweet  lesson  which  we  learn  from  this 
miracle.  This  element  in  the  miracle  illus- 
trates the  essential  difference  between  all  earthly 
things  as  compared  with  heavenly  things.  The 
devil  gives  his  best  first.     The  world  smiles,  and 


then  it  stabs ;  the  world  has  honey  in  its  lip, 
and  death  in  its  heart.  Relijjion  may  now  have 
temporary  sorrow,  bnt  it  will  soon  have  nnspeak- 
able  joy.  The  first  miracle  of  Moses  tnrned 
water  into  blood  ;  the  first  miracle  of  Christ 
turned  water  into  wine.  Those  who  enter  into 
the  life  of  Christ  shall  find  all  human  experi- 
ences transformed,  by  the  alchemy  of  divine 
grace,  into  divine  blessings,  and  earth  itself  shall 
at  last  be  exchanged  for  heaven. 


.  ''i\\ 


\  I 


kt 


■yiMth 


I  ?' 


lip, 
lave 
eak- 
11  ed 
irist 
into 
leri- 
aiie 
liall 


XXX 

MOUNT   OF    BKATITUDES 

TOURNEYING  from  Cana  of  Galilee  to  Ti- 
J  berias,  we  first  enter  a  beantiful  plain,  pass 
a  few  villacres,  one  of  which  is  Uibieh,  at  which 
there  are  some  rnins  and  rock  tombs,  and  then 
on  onr  left  is  the  monntain  known  as  Knrnn 
Hattin,  or  Horns  of  Hattin.  Its  name  comes 
from  the  fact  that  it  consists  of  two  peaks,  or 
horns,  Knrun  meaning  "horns."  The  two 
horns,  or  monnds,  are  snpposed  to  resemble  a 
camel's  saddle,  with  its  two  horns  or  knobs.  It 
rises  with  some  suddenness  from  the  fertile  plain. 
We  speak  of  the  place  as  a  mountain  ;  but  it  is 
really  only  a  hill,  as  it  rises  only  one  thousand 
one  hundred  and  seventy-eight  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  and  but'  about  sixty  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  surrounding  plain.  It  is  distant 
about  three  miles  from  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  and  is 
about  one-third  of  a  mile  in  length.  It  is  a  con- 
spicuous object  in  the  view,  as  one  looks  back 
after  he  has  gone  far  beyond  the  head  of  the  Sea 
of  Galilee  and  is  near  the  waters  of  Merom. 

A  more  careful  view  of  tlie  hill  shows  that  on 
it  there  are  two  elevations,  those  which  I  have 
already  called  horns.  It  seems  as  if  one  of  these 
was  the  place  chosen  by  our  Lord  as  a  place  of 

3»9 


320 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    I.KCTURHS 


ni 


hh 


I 'J. 


y 


prayer.  He  then  probably  stepped  clown  into 
the  open  space,  called  in  Luke  6:17  the  "  plain." 
This  is  a  natural  platform  between  the  knobs,  and 
capal)le  of  seatinj;  many  hundred  people.  Here 
it  was  onr  Lord  spoke  his  immortal  words ; 
here  it  was  also  that  he  made  his  final  choice  of 
his  disciples,  although  it  is  true  that  this  place 
was  not  selected  as  the  mount  of  Beatitudes  until 
the  time  of  the  crnsaders.  Some  interpreters 
make  this  the  place  of  the  feeding  of  the  five 
thonsand,  as  recorded  in  ^latt.  14  :  15-21,  but  a 
better  location  can  readily  be  given. 

Is  this  the  true  site  of  the  delivery  of  our 
Lord's  wonderful  sermon?  While,  as  we  have 
said,  the  tradition  goes  back  only  to  the  time  of 
the  crusaders,  mucli  may  l)e  said  in  its  favor.  It 
is  quite  certain  that  none  of  the  other  mountains 
in  the  neighborhood  so  well  answers  the  descrip- 
tions given  of  the  entire  event.  This  mountain, 
to  a  noticeable  degree,  stands  apart ;  it  rises  at 
once  from  the  fertile  table-land.  The  other 
moi'-itains  form  a  part  of  the  range  of  hills  which 
stan  A  about  the  shore  of  the  sea.  This  hill  is 
uninhabited ;  it  might  well,  because  of  its  isola- 
ted position,  claim  a  distinct  name,  as  separate 
from  neighboring  barriers  of  hills.  So  far  as  its 
separateness  from  any  range  of  hills  is  concerned, 
Tabor  might  be  the  monntain  of  Beatitudes ;  bnt 
it  is  too  remote  from  related  events  to  answer  the 
requirements  which  would  give  it  the  honor  that 
attaches  to  the  pulpit  of  our  Lord  when  he  de- 
livered the  most  memorable  sermon  ever  heard 
or  read  by  mortals. 


MOUNT   OK   BEATITUDES 


321 


Dean  Stanley  calls  attention  to  Lhe  fact  that 
the  sitnation  of  this  nionntain  so  strikinjjly 
coincides  with  the  gospel  narrative  as  to  oblige 
ns  to  believe  that  this  is  the  trne  place  of  the 
Sermon  on  the  Monnt.  From  the  Sea  of  Galilee 
no  other  height  is  seen  in  this  direction.  The 
table-land  from  which  it  rises  is  easily  accessible 
from  the  lake,  and  the  walk  from  the  plain  to 
the  top  of  the  monnt  can  be  taken  in  a  few 
minutes.  The  platform  on  the  top  is  well 
adapted  for  the  accommodation  of  a  multitude ; 
and  from  one  of  the  horns  he  could  readily  come 
down  to  address  the  people  on  the  level  place 
called  the  "plain,"  as  already  suggested.  The 
mount  is  located  so  as  to  be  central  between  the 
peasants  of  the  Galilean  hills  and  the  fishermen 
on  the  lake.  No  place,  as  Dean  Stanley  suggests, 
could  more  fittingly  furnish  a  solitary  retreat  for 
Christ  and  his  disciples  when  they  retired  from 
the  shore  of  the  sea  ;  and  no  place  could  be  more 
convenient  for  the  crowds  which  gathered  from 
"  Galilee,  from  Decapolis,  from  Jerusalem  from 
Judea,  and  from  beyond  Jordan."  ^ 

The  place,  or  its  neighborhood,  is  famous  be- 
cause of  the  battle  fought  between  Sultan  Saladin 
and  the  crusaders,  July  3  and  4,  1187.  This  is 
called  the  battle  of  Hattin.  It  was  the  death- 
blow to  the  power  of  the  crusaders  in  Palestine  ; 
and  virtually  crushed  all  their  hopes  of  being 
able  to  conquer  the  land.  It  was  their  last  strug- 
gle.    Dr.  George  Adam  Smith  has  given  a  stii- 


*  Matt.  4  :  25  ;  5  :  1  ;  Luke  6  :  17-20. 
V 


3-2 


SUNDAY   NIGII'T   LECTURES 


,"» 


!    ■      »■ 


<■! 


I         I  '  > 


ring  description  of  this  great  battle.  The  cru- 
saders had  neither  shade  nor  water.  It  was  a 
hot  July  day.  Their  enemy  set  fire  to  the  scrub. 
The  smoke  blinded  and  choked  the  Christians. 
Their  armor  was  heavy  and  hot.  The  foot- 
soldiers  broke  their  ranks,  dropped  their  wea- 
pons, and  were  finally  ridden  down  by  the  Mos- 
lem cavalry.  He  also  adds :  "  A  militant  and 
truculent  Christianity,  as  false  as  the  relics  of 
the  *  True  Cross '  round  which  it  was  rallied,  met 
its  judicial  end  within  view  of  the  scenes  where 
Christ  proclaimed  the  gospel  of  peace,  and  went 
about  doing  good."  With  the  coming  of  night- 
fall the  captive  princes  were  brought  to  the  tent 
of  the  victorious  Saladin.  Among  them  were 
Guy  of  Lusignan,  Raynald  of  Chatillon,  the 
grand  master  of  the  Knights  Templar,  and  the 
bishop  of  lyydda,  bearing  the  holy  cross.  Saladin 
received  all  but  Raynald  with  the  respect  due 
their  rank  and  their  misfortunes.  The  knights 
were  sold  as  slaves  ;  the  Templars  and  Hospital- 
ers were  executed.  On  Raynald  he  looked  with 
scorn  and  hate ;  and  he  himself  slew  him,  as  it 
was  claimed  that  he  had  frequently  broken  faith 
with  Saladin.  This  was  a  day  of  triumph  for 
the  Moslems.  The  power  of  the  crusaders  in 
the  Holy  Land  was  broken  forever.  A  mighty 
army  of  noble  knights  and  valorous  soldiers, 
whose  brave  deeds  have  been  honored  in  song 
and  story,  w^as  captured  and  then  imprisoned  or 
slain.  Nearly  all  Palestine,  with  the  city  of  Je- 
rusalem, soon  helplessly  yielded  to  the  Moslem 
yoke. 


nil 


MOUNT   OK   BEATITUDES 


323 


tent 


song 
led  or 

)f  Je- 
)slem 


Woriderfnl  was  the  contrast  ])et\veen  the  fierce 
battle  of  Saladin  and  the  delivery  of  onr  Lord's 
sermon  on  this  mountain.  Let  us  now  study  for 
a  little  this  latter  event  which  makes  this  moun- 
tain famous,  and  will  make  it  immortal.  L  ho  dis- 
course recorded  by  Matthew  in  chap.  ^  6,  'U  d  7, 
and  that  recorded  by  Luke  in  6  :  20-4^,,  ntr-  sup- 
posed by  some  to  be  distinct  discourses  and  to 
have  been  uttered  on  different  occasions.  Those 
who  hold  this  view  affirm  that  they  weie  deliv- 
ered in  different  places,  that  by  Matthew  being 
on  a  mountain  and  this  by  Luke  on  a  plain. 
They  also  hold  that  they  were  delivered  at  differ- 
ent times,  and  also  that  they  differ  so  materially 
in  themselves  as  to  give  sufficient  grounds  for 
supposing  them  to  be  different  in  time  and  place. 
It  is  true  that  both  seem  complete  and  connected 
throughout ;  that  the  one  in  Mattii  "^av  has  one 
hundred  and  seven  verses,  while  the  one  in  Luke 
has  only  thirty,  and  that  about  one-quarter  of  the 
latter  is  not  found  in  the  former.  In  Luke  four 
"  woes  "  are  connected  with  four  "  beatitudes  "  ; 
and  while  many  points  are  similar,  there  are 
often  marked  differences.  I  frankly  admit  that 
Jesus  might  have  delivered  two  discourses  so 
nearly  similar  on  quite  different  occasions.  We 
know  that  a  comparison  of  many  passages  shows 
that  he  often  repeated  his  great  sayings  ;  and  it 
certainly  would  be  remarkable  if  he  had  not 
often  repeated  the  central  trutlis  and  the  heav- 
enly thoughts  contained  in  this  great  di:M^ourse. 
All  wise  and  great  teachers  often  repca*:  them- 
selves ;  it  would  be  a  reproach  to  a  great  l.hinker 


f 

li 


324 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    LECTURES 


^i' 


!i   f   I 


if  he  did  not  consider  his  best  thoughts  worthy 
of  frequent  repetition  in  various  forms  of  expres- 
sion adapted  to  different  occasions. 

But  I  believe  that  the  discourse  recorded  by 
Matthew  and  that  by  Luke  are  identical,  or,  at 
least,  are  two  accounts  of  the  same  sermon. 
Augustine,  and  following  him  many  writers  of 
the  Latin  Church,  held  that  they  were  distinct. 
Most  of  the  writers  of  the  Greek  Church  hold 
that  they  were  identical.  Perhaps  a  middle 
view  can  properly  be  held.  May  not  Christ 
have  delivered  the  longer  discourse  given  by 
Matthew  on  one  of  the  horns  of  the  mountain, 
and  then  after  descciiding  into  the  level  space  a 
little  lower  he  may  have  given  a  synopsis  of  that 
discourse  to  the  people  gathered  there  ?  This 
latter  group  may  have  been  composed,  in  part 
at  least,  of  different  people.  This  summary  of 
the  longer  discourse  seems  to  have  been  followed 
by  the  selection  of  the  twelve  apostles,  and  also 
by  the  healing  of  the  centurion's  servant. 

I  well  know  that  some  regard  our  Lord's  Ser- 
mon on  the  IVIount  as  a  summary  and  sample  of 
his  teaching  during  the  course  of  his  public 
ministry.  It  is  admitted  that  Matthew  was  in 
the  habit  of  combining  historical  events  and 
other  matters  which  were  of  one  kind,  whether 
or  not  they  were  consecutive  in  time.  It  is 
readily  admitted  also  that  many  of  the  sayings 
of  this  great  sermon  are  found  elsewhere  in 
Christ's  teachings.  Clirist  spoke  usually  to 
shifting  groups  who  were  in  need  of  substantially 
the  same  kind  of  truth.     He  was  not  obliged,  so 


MOUNT   OF   BKATITUDES 


325 


in 
to 
ally 
so 


as  the 
The 


') 


much  as  a  settled  pastor  or  lecturer,  to  utter  new 
sermons  or  addresses  on  all  public  occasions ;  he 
was  neither  ashamed  nor  afraid  to  repeat  him- 
self. But  he  did  not  follow  a  slavish  uniform- 
ity ;  on  the  contrary,  he  introduced  new  matter 
as  his  wisdom  suggested,  and  gave  new  forms  to 
the  truths  he  had  already  spoken.  But  the 
natural  presumption  is  that  Matthew  is  here  re- 
cordino-  what  our  Lord  spoke  on  some  particular 
occasion.  Perhaps  we  might  regard  it 
''  ordination  sermon "  of  the  apostles 
simple  historical  form  of  the  discourse,  all  infor- 
mation to  the  contrary  being  wanting,  confirms 
us  in  the  idea  that  it  was  delivered  on  some  one 
special  occasion. 

In  this  sermon  we  have  a  discussion  of  the 
nature,  subjects,  and  principles  of  the  kingdom 
of  God.  The  time  had  not  yet  come  for  a  state- 
ment of  the  full  development  of  all  these  prin- 
ciples. But  they  were  admirably  adapted  to 
produce  repentance.  They  set  up  the  high,  t!ie 
divine  standard  of  conduct.  They  receive  their 
full  lustre  from  the  light  which  shines  from  the 
cross.  The  sermon  is  not  a  full  system  of 
Christian  doctrine — such  a  system  must  have 
had  the  death  and  resurrection  of  Christ  as  its 
basis.  Neither  are  we  to  find  in  it  specific  rules 
for  every  form  of  moral  duty.  It  is  a  statement 
of  srreat  principles  clothed  in  figurative  and 
paradoxical  forms  of  speech.  We  must  not  sup- 
post  that  it  :s  in  contradiction  to  tlie  fuller  state- 
ments of  doctrine  given  by  the  apostles.  IMany 
errors  were  current  as  to  the  nature  of  Clirist's 


326 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LFXTURES 


I     ' 


kingdom.  Christ  teaches  that  the  moral  require- 
ments of  law  were  not  to  be  set  aside,  and  the 
standard  of  duty  was  not  to  be  lowered,  but 
rather  to  be  raised.  He  carries  us  back  to  the 
giving  of  the  law  on  Mount  Sinai.  Doctor 
Alexander,  in  his  commentary  on  Matthew,  has 
well  suggested  that  Christ  corrects  the  ideas  of 
the  bigoted  Jews,  who  thought  the  Gent  les  could 
not  be  saved  ;  and  of  the  revolutionary  Jews, 
who  thought  all  distinctions  would  be  destroyed  ; 
and  also  of  the  censorious  Jews,  whose  religion 
consisted  in  criticising  the  faults  of  others  and 
in  obeying  outward  forms  of  righteousness. 
Chapter  five  shows  for  whom  the  kingdom  is 
designed.  Chapter  six  shows  us  that  great  relig- 
ious duties  must  be  performed  as  unto  God  and 
not  unto  men  ;  and  chapter  seven  rebukes  Phari- 
saical hypocrisy  and  exhorts  us  as  to  true  self- 
denial. 

H^rc  the  Christ  of  the  throne  stands  conspicu- 
ously forward.  The  old  law  took  cognizance  of 
outward  acts ;  this  interpretation  of  the  law 
takes  cognizance  of  inward  thoughts.  He  is  a 
foolish  man  who  says,  thinking  by  so  saying  to 
despise  thr  doctrine  of  the  atonement,  that  he 
wislus  simply  to  live  by  the  Sermon  on  the 
Moni.L.  He  v>as  a  wiser  man  who  said  :  "God 
save  me  on  the  day  of  judgment  from  the  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount."  Who  can  live  up  to  it? 
Rightly  understood,  this  sermon  is  an  exhorta- 
tion to  repentance,  an  exhortation  to  trust  Christ, 
an  e^  aortation  to  follow  him  in  self-denial  and 
finally  to  glory. 


,1 


J'' 


MOUNT   OF   BEATITUDES 


327 


iMarveloiis  sermon  !  It  will  outlive  all  other 
literature.  Even  that  of  the  twentieth  century 
will  not  come  up  to  it.  So  we  think  and  feel  as 
we  drive  on  with  the  Horns  of  Hattin  behind 
us,  and  soon  have  before  us  our  first  glimpse  of 
the  sacred  Sea  of  Galilee. 

Striking  are  the  contrasts  between  the  work 
of  the  crusaders  on  the  one  side,  and  that  of 
Christ    and    his    apo:]tles    on    the   other.     Tlie 
crusaders  have  gone  from  the  sphere  of  acti\  ity, 
and  are  obscured  in  tlie  shadows  of  legend  and 
history.     They   never  really   accomplished    the 
purpose  which  their  fanatical  zeal  inspired.    God, 
however,   overruled   their  fanaticism  and   igno- 
rance for  the  progress  of  humanity.     The  min- 
gling of  many  civilizations  and  peoples  resulted, 
ill  many  indirect  ways,  in   the  advancement  of 
civilization  and  Christianity.     But  so  far  as  its 
primary   purpose   was  concerned,   the   Crusades 
were    a    gigantic    failure.      In    Christ    and    his 
words,  and  in  his  apostles  and  their  words,  there 
is  what  has  been  finely  called  a  "  perpetual  con- 
temporaneousness."    Christ   spoke   for  all   cen- 
turies and  climes.     He  and  his  apostles  are  more 
thoroughly  living  to-day  than  when  they  were 
on  the  earth.     They  are  now  moving  irresistibly 
to  the  conquest  of  the  world  for  truth  and  God. 
Christ  spoke  apparently  unmeditated  words  to 
Galilean   peasants   on   this  Galilean   mountain. 
Great  orators,  philosophers,  and  historians,  have 
labored  long  on  a  few  sentences  that  their  words 
might    be   endowed    with    immortality.     Christ 
spoke  for  the  hour,  the  place,  and  the  audience, 


'^tm 


328 


SUNDAY  NIGHT   LECTURES 


'•\\^ 


simple  sentences ;  but  they  will  live  when  all 
other  literature  has  perished.  Never  did  man 
speak  as  Jesus  Christ  spoke  in  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount.  To-day  social  scientists  are  striving 
to  bring  their  systems  up  to  the  level  of  this 
marvelous  discourse ;  they  are  striving  to  incar- 
nate the  teachings  of  this  divine  sermon  in  their 
systems  of  social  philosophy.  To-day  a  coarser 
grade  of  socialists,  rightly  or  wrongly,  hiss  at  the 
mention  of  the  church  ;  but  to-day  this  same 
class  of  socialists  will  cheer  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ.  He  is  the  world's  Prophet,  Priest,  and 
King.  He  sways  the  sceptre  of  unlimited  power. 
That  mountain  in  Galilee  was  a  throne  of 
potency  and  splendor.  The  most  advanced 
thought  of  to-day  has  not  come  up  to  the  simple 
and  profound  teaching  of  that  discourse.  In  it 
Christ  formulated  some  of  the  deepest  principles 
that  have  ever  occupied  the  mind  of  man.  Be- 
cause of  that  sermon  we  crown  him  as  the  fore- 
most thinker  the  world  has  ever  known.  Amid 
the  smoke  of  the  battle  of  Hattin  we  see  Saladin 
and  the  crusaders ;  the  smoke  of  battle  clears 
away  and  Saladin  and  the  crusaders,  with  all 
their  pomp  and  glory,  disappear.  Looking  to 
that  mountain  now,  we  see  "  no  man  save  Jesus 
only  "  ;  and  when  the  smoke  of  all  the  battles  of 
the  wo*-id  shall  have  cleared  away  we  shall  see 
Jesus  Christ  on  his  throne,  regnant  and  glorious 
for  evermore. 


i    r  ;l 


'^f  I 


XXXI 


THE  SEA  OF  GALILEE 

MOST  deeply  interestinjr  was  the  ride  from 
tlie^  mount  of  Jeatitiides  to  the  Sea  of 
Galilee.     There  is  not  a  sheet  of  water  on  the 
globe  which  I  so  greatly  desired  to  see  as  the 
Sea  of  Galilee.     It  rejoiced  in  tlie  presence  and 
submitted  to  the  power  of  Jesus  Christ.     In  its 
waters  were  mirrored  the  face  and  form  of  the 
Son  of   God.     The  hope  of   seeing   it   was  in 
my  thought  for  years,  and  it  now  gave  zest  and 
charm  to  this  trip  over  the  hills  of  Judea,  Sama- 
ria, and  Galilee.     And  yet,  as  I  knew  I  was  ap- 
proaching it,  there  was  a  sort  of  unwillingness  to 
have  the  sight  for  which  I  had  long  waited.     I 
refused    to  look    up   until   a   spot  was  reached 
where  the  view  would   be  the  finest.     "  Look 
now,"  said  Abdallah,   my  excellent  dragoman. 
At    his   words   I    looked   with   strangely  com- 
mingled emotions,  and  had  the  magnificent  view 
of  the  sea  and  its  surroundings  which  all  trav- 
elers in  the  Holy  Land  get  who  approach  it  bv 
this  road. 

Some  describe  the  view  in  terms  of  great  ex- 
travagance; others  equally  depreciate  it.  The 
truth  lies  between  the  extremes.  Many  having 
in  mind  only  the  desolate  wastes,  the  barren 

329 


330 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


ri- 


ll ^>ii « 


*■'  .1 


::!;^   I 


hills,  and  the  extent  of  the  water,  will  tell  you 
that  lakes  in  England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  and 
Switzerland,  far  surpass  this  view.  In  several 
respects  they  are  quite  right.  But  the  thought 
of  Ciiriat'3  presence  glorifies  mountain,  shore, 
and  sea,  and  makes  this  the  most  interesting  and 
transcendently  beautiful  place  on  this  globe. 
This  lake,  with  this  thought  in  mind,  is  not  to 
be  compared  to  any  other  water,  nor  this  vicinity 
with  any  other  region  in  the  world.  IMuch  de- 
pends upon  the  traveler's  point  of  view ;  but 
even  apart  from  the  association  of  the  lake  with 
the  name  and  work  of  Christ,  its  intrinsic  fea- 
tures are  such  that  one  cannot  but  be  charmed 
with  them,  or  at  least  not  disappointed,  simply 
for  their  own  sake. 

Permit  me  to  paint  the  picture  as  seen  from 
this  vantage  point.  The  lake,  from  the  towui  of 
Tiberias  on  the  right  to  the  ruins  of  Capernaum 
on  the  left,  is  distinctly  seen.  This  clear  blue 
expanse  of  water  is  very  beautiful.  Receding 
from  the  shore  are  banks,  sometimes  steeply  and 
sometimes  gently  sloping.  On  the  opposite 
shore  are  the  irregular  hills,  now  presenting  pre- 
cipitous cliffs  and  now  rolling  backward  more 
gently.  They  are,  for  the  most  part,  bare  and 
barren  ;  but  they  are  variegated  in  tone  and 
tint.  Here  are  the  mountains  of  Galilee,  and 
away  to  the  north,  as  the  glorious  limit  to  so 
many  pictures  in  Palestine,  is  tlie  magnificent 
Hermon,  now  looking  grander,  kindlier,  and 
statelier  than  ever  before.  In  the  evening  light 
this  combination  of  water,  verdant  slopes,  bold 


■:!i 


THE  SEA  OF  GAULKE 


33^ 


hills,  and  the  snow-clad  Hennon,  makes  a  rL-- 
tnre  of  loveliness  rarely  surpassed.  Kverywnere 
the  thoujn^ht  of  Christ  is  present  to  the  Christian 
heart.  He  trod  those  waters,  and  they  were  as 
a  pavement  of  adamant  beneath  his  feet.  He 
commanded  these  waves,  and  they  obeyed  his 
voice.  He  preached  on  these  shores.  Yonder 
the  wretched  maniac  was  healed,  and  down 
these  ru^rcred  hills  the  swine  ran  into  the  lake. 
All  about  these  shores  are  some  of  the  most 
sacred  scenes  in  our  Lord's  ministry.  The  very 
air  seems  charged  with  his  words.  Hill  and 
valley  seem  to  be  written  over  with  memories  of 
his  blessed  presence.  A  whole  volume  might 
be  written  in  giving  an  account  of  his  heavenly 
ministry  along  the  shores  of  this  divinely  hon- 
ored sea.  Never  shall  I  forget  tlie  moment 
when  my  eyes  first  took  in  this  sweet  picture. 
I  could  almost  see  the  King  in  his  beauty  ;  I 
really  saw  one  part  of  the  land  which  to  me  so 
long  had  been  so  far  off. 

The  ride  to  the  town  of  Tiberias  was  marked  by 
the  steep  descent  and  by  the  sudden  and  great 
change  in  the  temperature  familiar  to  alftrav- 
elers  ;  and  soon  v;e  were  within  the  old  and 
walled  town  of  Tiberias  on  the  shore  of  the  his- 
toric Sea  of  Galilee.  Let  us  get  a  clear  concep- 
tion of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  or  Kinnert,  a  name 
derived  from  the  supposed  likeness  of  the  form 
of  the  lake  to  a  lute. 

Its  Various  Names.— It  is  called  Sea  of 
Galilee  because  situated  in  the  province  of  Gal- 


332 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURKS 


'  Ml 


( 


» 


ilc'c.  It  is  called  Sea  of  Tiberias,  because  so 
important  a  city  as  Tiberias  is  on  its  shore.  Its 
more  ancient  name  was  Sea  of  Chinnercth  or 
Cliimcroth  (Num.  34  :  11;  Josh.  12  :  3),  prob- 
ably from  a  town  or  district  of  this  name  on  its 
border.  In  Luke  5  :  i,  we  sec  that  it  was  also 
called  the  Lake  of  Ocnnesaret.  This  word 
means  "  Garden  of  the  Prince  "  ;  and  was  ap- 
plied to  the  crescent-shaped  plain  on  the  western 
shore  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  It  was  about  three 
miles  lonnr  and  over  one  mile  wide.  Now  it  is 
surrounded  by  barren  and  rug^^cd  hills  ;  but  in 
Christ's  time  it  was  a  fertile  region,  producing 
many  varieties  of  fruits,  and  was  the  scene  of 
man;  )f  Christ's  miracles,  and  perhaps  of  the 
parable  of  the  Sower.  In  Isa.  9:1,  the  Sea  of 
Galilee  is  referred  to  simply  as  "the  sea."  Its 
local  name  now  is  Rahr  Tabariych.  It  is  about 
thirty-five  miles  south  of  Mount  Hermon,  twenty- 
seven  miles  east  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  sixty- 
five  in  a  straight  line  north  of  the  Dead  Sea. 

Its  Description. — I  saw  it  both  at  noonday, 
sunset,  sunri.se,  and  moonlight.  In  the  morning 
the  surrounding  hills  were  brilliant  in  color  ;  in 
the  evening  the  shadows  deepened  until  sea, 
hills,  and  sky  were  seen  in  the  softest,  sweet- 
est tones ;  and  in  the  nioonlight  all  inequalities 
were  harmonized  and  the  peace  of  Ciod  rested 
on  mountain  and  sea.  Once  I  saw  it  ruffled  in 
a  slight  storm  and  all  the  memories  of  Christ 
and  his  disciples  filled  my  soul.  Perhaps  the 
best  views  are  at  Tiberias,  looking  to  ..'ard  Caper- 


THK   SKA   Ol-    GAIJLKK 


333 


naiun.  This  view  I  luul  for  liotirs  in  the  soft 
evening  li<;ht  as  I  sat  alone  hy  the  shore  near 
tlie  eenter  (if  the  town  of  'I'iherias.  The  lake 
is  pear-shaped,  the  hroad  end  being  toward  the 
north,  or  we  may  say  that  it  is  liarp-shaped, 
with  the  hnlf^e  to  the  northwest.  It  is  between 
twelve  and  thirteen  miles  long,  and  between  ^ix 
and  seven  miles  wide,  and  is  almost  embosomed 
among  the  hills.  The  Jordan  flows  into  it  on 
the  north, — a  mnddy  stream, — coloring  the  lake 
for  a  mile  from  its  month,  and  out  of  it  on  the 
south,  being  then  pnre  and  bright.  It  has  been 
called  "  a  sparkling  diamond  snspended  by  a 
silver  thread."  Its  depth  is  about  one  hundred 
and  sixty  to  two  hundred  and  thirty  feet  ;  its 
level  varies  at  different  seasons,  but  its  depres- 
sion below  the  surface  of  the  Mediterranean 
Sea  may  be  put  at  six  hundred  and  eighty-two 
feet,  although  often  it  is  said  to  be  seven  hun- 
dred feet.  Dr.  (ieorge  Adam  vSmith  calls  atten- 
tion to  the  remarkable  fact  that  the  grenter  part 
of  our  Lord's  ministry  was  accomplished  at 
what  may  be  called  the  bottom  of  a  trench  six 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  below  the  level  of  the 
sea.  The  lake  was  really  the  center  of  the  trade 
of  the  province.  Here  then  was  the  touch  with 
the  connnerce,  the  industry,  and  the  powerful 
Greek  influences  of  the  time.  Near  Tiberias 
the  water  is  polluted  with  sewage,  but  elsewhere 
it  is  entirely  fit  for  drinking  purposes,  although  it 
is  somewhat  brackish,  which  brackishness  is  due 
to  tlie  salt  springs  on  the  shore.  A  bath  in  the 
lake  is  very  enjoyable,  as  in  it  are  many  warm 


334 


SUNDAY    NIOIIT    IJ-XTUKKS 


Springs.  Ivirtluinakes  here  arc  not  so  frequent 
as  ill  Japan,  but  they  arc  not  uncommon.  In 
1837  tiiere  was  one  which  did  mucli  damage  to 
the  town  of  Tiberias.  Storms  are  still  frequent; 
the  mountains  and  valleys  on  the  shore  p^ive  the 
wind  the  opportunity  to  sweep  down  and  still 
to  strike  the  sea  with  as  much  violence  and  as 
little  warninpf  as  in  the  days  of  the  disciples. 
The  sea  winds  blow  over  this  basin,  and  the  sun 
beats  down  with  j^reat  power.  Cold  currents,  as 
they  pass  from  the  west,  are  drawn  to  the  sea 
tlirou|j|[h  the  funnel-like  j^orji^es  that  open  on  the 
lake.  Thus  come  the  sudden  storms  which  lit- 
erally smite  the  lake,  as  they  are  described  in 
the  Gospel  narrative.  The  region  is  famous  for 
such  storms. 

The  wind,  the  tempest  roaring  high, 
The  tumult  of  a  tropic  sky. 

The  SnoRKS. — The  hills  which  enclose  the 
sea  are  of  limestone,  basalt,  and  volcanic  rock, 
and  are  from  five  hundred  to  seventeen  hundred 
feet  hi^"-  Often  they  come  near  the  water,  leav- 
ing only  a  pebbly  beach  between  their  base  and 
the  water.  On  the  northwest  they  recede  so  as  to 
form  the  beautiful  plain  of  Gennesaret,  of  which 
mention  has  been  made.  The  outline  of  the 
hills,  especially  on  the  east  side,  is  not  broken 
by  any  prominent  peak,  and  the  eye  sweeps 
north  to  Hermon  which  stands  out  so  sharply  in 
the  clear  atmosphere  as  to  seem  but  a  dozen,  in- 
stead of  thirty-five  miles  away.  On  the  north 
the  shore  line,  which  usually  is  regular,  is  broken 


TIIK   SUA   OF   OAI.IM'.K 


335 


into  a  scries  of  hays  of  rcmarkahlc  beauty,  but 
especially  so  at  ( icnucsarct,  where  the  white  beach 
is  covered  with  its  myriads  of  shells.  The  town 
of  Tiberias  is  in  a  recess  of  the  hills  on  the 
western  shore ;  near  the  uionth  of  the  Jordan  is 
the  svvanii)y  plain  of  Ivl  Halihah,  now  frequented, 
Captain  Wilson  informs  us,  by  wild  boars.  This 
place  was  the  scene  of  a  naval  battle  between 
the  Romans  and  the  Jews,  fouj^^ht  on  the  lake  after 
the  takin_i>^  of  Tariche:;e  by  the  Romans,  when 
Vespasian  and  Titus  were  victorious  over  the 
Jews,  and  in  which  Josephus  was  so  injured  as 
to  necessitate  his  removal  to  Capernaum.  The 
depression  of  the  lake  causes  the  tropical  heat 
here  experienced  ;  it  also  accounts  for  the  semi- 
tropical  vej^^etation  on  the  shores.  Excellent 
fish  abound  in  the  lake,  including-  several  trop- 
ical species  which  now,  as  in  Christ's  day  (Luke 
5 : 6),  are  seen  in  large  shoals.  Great  interest 
attaches  to  Chromis  Simonis^  as  they  are  called, 
the  male  of  which  carries  the  eggs  and  the  young 
in  its  mouth  ;  and  also  to  the  Coracinus  of  Jose- 
phus and  the  Barbur  of  the  Arabs,  which  gives 
out  a  sound. 

Boats  abotmd  on  the  lake.  ^lany  travelers, 
partly  because  of  the  sacred  associations,  prefer 
to  j^o  by  boat  from  Tiberias  to  Capernaum. 
Boats  can  be  had  large  enough  to  hold  from  ten 
to  twelve  passeng-ers  in  addition  to  the  rowers. 
Both  sides  of  the  lake  can,  of  course,  be  best 
seen  from  a  boat ;  and  in  this  way  the  gospel 
scenes  also  can  be  made  more  real  than  when 
one  rides  or  walks  on  the  shore.     But  a  careful 


,     ^ttm^tmm 


33^ 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


bargain  ought  to  made  as  the  charges  are  apt  to 
be  exorbitant. 


f'  . 


It 


t,  '!■' 


•I 


) 


Large  Population  in  Early  Days. — In 
Christ's  time  the  ships  and  boats  on  the  lake 
were  very  numerous.  Josephus  uses  the  phrase 
"Climbing  up  into  their  ships,"  indicating  that 
some  of  their  vessels  were  large.  At  that  time 
there  were  nine  considerable  towns  on  the  shores 
of  the  lake.  Among  these  were  Bcthsaida,  Caper- 
naum, Chorazin,  Tiberias,  and  Magdala.  These 
towns  contained  a  large  and  busy  population. 
Ur.  Selah  IMerrill  endorses  the  strong  statements 
of  Josepiius  regarding  the  great  size  of  the  popu- 
lation of  Galilee  as  a  whole,  and  also  the  state- 
ment mentioned  above,  that  many  vessels  then 
enlivened  the  lake.  Tiberias  is  now  the  only 
town  visible,  and  there  are  only  three  or  four 
small  villages  on  the  coast.  Dr.  Merrill  also  en- 
dorses what  Josephus  says  of  the  beauty  and 
fruitfulness  of  the  plain  of  Oennesaret.  Josephus 
gives  Galilee  two  hundred  and  four  towns  and 
villages,  the  smallest  of  which  had  fifteen  thou- 
sand inhabitants.  But  nearly  all  these  towns 
are  now  indistinguishable  masses  of  ruins,  Gali- 
lee was  only  from  fifty  to  sixty  miles  long  and 
from  thirty  to  forty  wide,  but  it  is  believed  that 
at  least  three  millions  of  people  lived  there.  The 
lake  was  then  white  with  sails  and  plowed 
with  thousands  of  keels.  The  shores  of  this  sea 
were  vastly  different  in  Christ's  day.  Then 
there  were  great  woods  on  the  banks ;  now  there 
is  not  a  tree.     Then  there  were  noble  gardens ; 


..^. 


Tin;  si;a  ok  galilee  337 

now  there  are  only  marshe^^lvTu^rc^were 
prosperous  town,  and  eities ;  now  there  are  onlv 
nan,eless   ru,„s.      This   beantifnl    hike   ehnrns 

a  rest  to  the  eye,  coohiess  in  the  heat,  an  escaoe 
f.om   the  erowd,   and  a  facility  of  traververv 

V  o  do  ;■': '",  -'-"»""g  -  clinite.  t^-en  tho  I 
who  do  not  sliare  its  memories  of  Christ  feel  an 
p.  hnsiasm  for  it.     The  rabbis  said:  •  [eho l? 

ath  created   seven   seas,  but  the  Sea  of  Gen 
nesaret  is  his  delight.'  " 

CONN'ECTION' WITH  On  BIST  n,,;  n 
hallows  the  .sea  and'Slirr-el"^:' ,:!:j.:ro" 
|ts  qmet  beauty  ;  he  stilled  its  wild  waves  he 
glor,ned  US  rocky  shores.  On  its  bo.som  'ev'er.I 
apostles  were  called  to  be  "fishers  of  me,  "  ?n 
Its  waters  Peter  sank  until  Christ  .saved  him  hmn 
a  watery  grave ;  and  on  its  shores  Christ  iiet  1  k 
disciples  after  his  resurrection,  in  the  <  ray  dawn 

0  the  niorning,  while  a  miraculous CalT, 

exeniiig  as  I  .sat  alone  on  a  hou.setop  in  Tiberias 
after  all  others  in  the  hotel  had  gone  to  be     took 

ow  Ln:r'  "^'  ■""^'  associafious  of  thi^t' 
cembK,'?!:,,  There  was  no  spot  in  Palestine,  ex- 
cepting Gethseniane,  I  more  longed  to  see  and 

1  can  sympatlme  u-ith  the  pttre-soule d'  Mc 
Cheyne  as  lie  sines  : 

How  plensnnt   o  me  thy  deep  blue  wave. 

O  Sea  of  (.alilec  ! 
For  the  glorious  One  who  cme  to  save 

Hath  often  stood  by  thee. 
W 


«M 


338 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


Graceful  around  thee  the  mountains  meet, 

Thou  calm  reposing;  sea  ; 
But  oh,  far  more  the  beautiful  feet 

Of  Jesus  walked  o'er  thee  ! 

O  Saviour,  gone  to  God's  right  hand, 

Yet  the  same  Saviour  still, 
Graved  on  thy  hcait  is  this  lovely  strand 

And  every  fragrant  hill  ! 


'1'  ■';! 


i 


hi  * 


ii 


I 


>n 


m 


'ii 


m 


lii 


■t«,  li 


t,  ii 


)i  J 


I 


Ih 


! 


XXXII 

TOWN   OF  TIBERIAS 
"pHE  fact  that  CInist  probably  never  visited 

t he  mteicst  whicli  u  would  have  if  it  were  more 
closely  assocated  with   his  „an,e.     The  town    s 

^^  n.m.eT"'-'"";'    '"    "'^    ^'"^    'J'-'-'     ' 
ot   to   the  town.     It   ,s   interesting  to  observe 
tha    the  name  is  given  by  John  only.    Twns 
parfcularl;-  forttnmte  in  having  arrived  in  Ti 
benas  on    the  first  day  of   the  feast  of  '  'aber- 
naeles,  wlueh  chaneed  to  be  October  3,  i8q        I 
saw  honses  and  yards  decorated  with  branches 
in    rea<l,„ess   for   the   observance  of   the     east 
Booths  were  erected   in   many  janis  and  conrts 

o  Cn;°/l  "T-,'-"-,"'  -'-ic'.  the  chndren 
ot  Israe  lived  while  ,1,  the  wilderness.  While 
in  Shechcni,  Kazareth,  and  other  places  I  saw 
similar  preparations  in  progress  ;  bnt  he' e     was 

feast."         ''  "'  ""  ^^"■=''   "'^l^-tion  of  th^ 

^-.Tr^u'"?  "■,''"  ''-"■'=  '<="*"  Kcner^Il^•  pitch  them 
on  tbe  bank  of  the  lake  to  the  sonth  of^he  tovv" 

as'eTri    ,"""  "■•"  ''^  ''^''  '"  "'^  f-'ccl:  nZ 
All   P  Vl     '"  '",  '"■"  °''  ""■'■'^  ''""■Iv  t'ood  hotels 
All  Palestine  and  S)ria  are  noted' for  the  ntiin: 

339 


t 


k'  I 


340 


SUNDAY    XIGHT    LHCTURKS 


ber  and  virulence  of  tlicir  fleas,  bnt  Tiberias 
bears  a  specially  bad  repntation.  Tlie  Arabs  sa\ 
that  here  the  kino;  of  the  lleas  resides ;  but  I 
can,  with  many  otlier  travelers  say,  that  if  he 
resides  in  Tiberias  it  is  certain  that  he  has  a 
vi.i^orons  viceroy  in  all  parts  of  the  land.  With 
the  great  numbers  of  dogs,  camels,  and  donkeys, 
living  practically  as  one  family  with  the  people, 
and  with  tlie  filth  of  centuries  mingled  with 
that  of  the  present,  it  could  not  be  otherwise 
than  that  fleas  should  abound. 


1. 


The  History  of  Tiberias. — Probably  Gali- 
lee attained  the  heiglit  of  its  prosperity  about 
the  time  of  Christ.  For  a  time  its  chief  town 
was  Sepphoris,  but  the  splendor-loving  Herod 
Antipas  determined  to  build  a  new  and  splendid 
capital.  His  dominions  then  included  Perea 
and  also  Galilee,  which  was  famed  for  its  fertil- 
ity, its  rich  pastures,  and  its  luxuriant  forests. 
Herod,  ther-^fore,  built  Tiberias  and  named  it  in 
honor  of  t'w  Roman  Emperor  Tiberius.  It  has 
been  remarked  that  the  Herods  generally  rebuilt 
old  towns,  but  Herod  Antipas  was  an  exception. 
He  selected  this  site  probably,  in  part  at  least, 
because  of  its  proximity  to  the  baths,  then 
famous  in  all  parts  of  the  Roman  Empire.  For 
a  time  it  was  the  capital  of  Galilee,  and  many 
Greeks  and  Romans  here  resided.  Some  rab- 
binical writers  say  that  Tiberias  occupies  the 
site  of  a  place  called  Rakkath,  an  ancient  town 
of  Naphtali ;  but  others  affirm  that  this  state- 
ment is  without  foundation.     But  as  Rakkath 


; 


tOWN    OF    TIBKRIAS 


341 


means  a  "strip"  or  "coast,"  the  statement  may 
be  true.  Joscphus  tells  ns  that  the  building  of 
the  city  began  between  A.  d.  16  and  19,  and  v  :s 
completed  A.  D.  22.  Its  ancient  name  is  still 
preserved  in  the  modern  name  Tal)ariyeh,  given 
both  to  the  town  and  the  lake.  In  digging  for 
the  foundations  of  the  town  a  burial  place  was 
discovered  ;  this  fact  prevented  Jews  from  living 
there  in  large  numbers  in  the  early  day.  Ac- 
cording to  their  law,  contact  with  graves  made 
the  persons  unclean  for  seven  days.  Herod, 
therefore,  was  obliged  to  people  the  town  with 
beggars  and  foreigners  of  many  classes,  and  as  a 
result  the  people  of  Tiberias  were  of  a  very 
mixed  character. 

GrcECO-Roman  predominated  in  the  architec- 
ture of  the  town  ;  even  its  municipal  laws  were 
Roman.  It  had  a  race-course  and  a  palace 
adorned  with  figures  of  animals.  Its  decorations 
were  thus  an  abomination  to  the  Jews.  During 
the  Jewish  war  Josephus,  as  commander-in-chief 
of  Galilee,  fortified  Tiberias.  But,  as  Bx'deker 
says,  the  inhabitants  surrendered  to  Vespasian 
and  the  Jews  were  permitted  to  live  in  Tiberias. 
Northwest  of  the  town  were  the  headquarters 
of  the  Romans,  and  from  that  part  they  under- 
took the  siege  of  TaricheiE  and  defeated  the  Jews, 
as  we  have  already  seen,  in  a  naval  battle.  After 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  Tiberias  became 
an  important  Jewish  town.  The  Sanhedrin  was 
transferred  from  vSepphoris  to  Tiberias ;  and  the 
school  of  the  Talmud  here  developed  in  opposi- 
tion to  Christianity.     About  the  year  A.  d.  200, 


342 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


!!  '■ 


^i.    i 


If^  *  '« 


.  "< 


h  I 


the  famous  Jewish  scholar,  Rabbi  Juda  Hak- 
Kadosh,  published  here  the  ancieut  traditional 
law  known  as  the  Mishna,  and  also  the  IMasorah, 
or  body  of  traditions  as  to  the  Old  Testament 
text.  Here  in  the  first  half  of  the  fourth  cen- 
tury the  Palestinian  (iemara,  known  as  the  Je- 
rusalem Talmud,  came  into  existence,  and  be- 
tween the  sixth  and  seventh  centuries  the  west- 
ern, or  Tiberian,  and  received  pointing  of  the 
Hebrew  Bible.  St.  Jerome  learned  Hebrew 
from  a  rabbi  of  Tiberias.  Christianity  struggled 
hard  for  a  foothold  here  ;  but  bishoprics  of  Ti- 
berias are  mentioned  in  the  fifth  century.  The 
Aral)S  conquered  the  town  in  637  ;  but  under  the 
crusaders  Christianity  was  recognized  and  bish- 
oprics re-established.  It  was  the  attack  of  Sa- 
ladin  on  Tiberias  which  made  his  great  victory 
at  Hatlin  possible;  and  the  day  after  that  battle 
the  countess  of  Tripoli  was  obliged  to  surrender 
the  castle  of  Tiberias.  The  tov.'U  has  been  at 
different  times  in  possession  of  the  Persians, 
Arabs,  and  Turks. 

The  modern  town  lies  on  a  narrow,  undulat- 
ing plain,  two  miles  and  a  quarter  wide,  between 
the  high  table-land  and  the  shore  of  the  lake.  It 
was  largely  destroyed  on  January  i,  1837,  by  an 
earthquake,  but  it  still  has  a  population  of  about 
four  thousand,  one-half  of  whom  are  Jews,  who 
have  thirteen  synagogues,  two  of  which  I  vis- 
ited. There  are  about  one  thousand  INIoslems, 
two  hundred  orthodox  Greeks,  a  few  Latins,  and 
some  Protestant  mission  stations  and  churches. 
The  PVee  Church  of   Scotland  has  a  hospital, 


■fi 


.  f 


v: 


i  :t 


TOWN   OF   TIBKRIAS 


343 


with  one  of  whose  physicians  I  formed  a  pleas- 
ant acquaintance.  The  church  of  the  Greek 
Catholics  was  remodeled  in  1869,  and  it  is 
claimed  to  be  on  the  site  of  the  miraculous 
draught  of  fishes.  It  is  situated  on  the  northern 
side  of  the  town  and  near  the  bank  of  the  lake. 
The  town  is  unheal tliful ;  fevers  abound,  as  does 
also  filth  of  all  kinds,  the  former  being-  a  natural 
consequence  of  the  latter.  The  walls  are  in 
great  part  heaps  of  ruins,  the  castle  is  much 
shattered,  and  the  whole  town  has  an  aspect  of 
filth  and  wretchedness,  though  of  late  its  ap- 
pearance has  improved.  South  of  the  town  are 
many  remains  of  the  ancient  cities  which  once 
stood  there. 

Attention  has  already  been  called  to  the  large 
number  of  Jews  in  Tiberias,  perhaps  two  thou- 
sand, or  one-half  of  the  entire  population.  The 
fact  that  there  are  thirteen  synagogues  is  proof 
of  the  great  number  of  Jews.  There  are  espe- 
cially two  classess  of  Jews,  those  from  Poland 
and  those  from  Spain.  The  former  are  called 
Ashkenazim  and  the  latter  Scphardim.  Most 
of  these  Jews  lived  on  alms  sent  from  Europe. 
They  wear  large  black  hats ;  many  also  wear 
their  hair  in  ringlets.  The  vSpanish  Jews  partic- 
ularly are  pale,  effeminate,  and  sickly  looking. 
It  woidd  be  an  unpardonable  act  of  politeness, 
at  the  exj)cnse  of  truth,  should  one  say  that  they 
are  jiaiidsomc.  Two  synagogues  are  on  the 
bank  of  the  lake.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that 
the  study  of  the  Tahnud  still  flourishes  in  Ti- 
berias.    A  visit  to  this  citv  gives  the  traveler  in 


II'  '  ■« 


•  ' .' 


r  i- 


344 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


many  ways  a  breath  of  ancient  and  foreign  life 
sncli  as  he  can  get  in  no  otlier  part  of  Palestine, 
or  perhaps  of  the  world.  Here  one  is  brought 
face  to  face  with  ancient  habits  and  thoughts, 
and  with  peoples  usually  for  the  most  part  out- 
side of  our  ordinary  relations  with  our  fellow- 
men. 

The  burial  ground  of  the  Jews  is  regarded  by 
Jews  in  all  parts  of  the  world  as  peculiarly 
sacred  ;  and  there  is  good  cause  for  this  sanctity. 
Here  are  buried  two  of  their  most  celebrated 
men  of  what  may  be  called  modern  times — 
Jochanan  and  Maimonides.  The  latter  was  a 
scholar  and  philosopher  whose  learning  is  ac- 
knowledged by  all  intelligent  Jews  and  Chris- 
tians throughout  the  world.  His  name,  if  given 
in  full,  would  occupy  a  line  on  a  very  wide 
page.  He  was  born  in  Cordova,  iNIarch  30, 
1 1 35.  His  father  was  a  very  learned  man  and 
the  author  of  important  works  in  Arabic  and 
in  Hebrew.  He  was  his  son's  first  instructor. 
Later,  under  the  most  distinguished  Arabic  mas- 
ters of  the  time,  Maimonides  studied  Greek 
philosophy,  the  science  of  medicine,  and  theol- 
ogy. In  1 148  Abd-al-Mumen  took  Cordova,  and 
soon  afterward  subjected  all  Andalusia,  and  all 
Jews  and  Christians  were  forced  either  to  profess 
Islam  or  to  leave  the  country.  For  more  than 
sixteen  years  Maimonides  outwardly  obser\cd 
the  Mohammedan  faith,  but  was  still  secretly  a 
Jew.  But,  finally,  the  fiiniily  went  to  Cairo. 
Sooti  the  great  medical  knowledge  of  Maimon- 
ides gave  him  influence  wHh  the  reigning  sul- 


TOWN   OF   TIBKRIAS  345 

tan  of  Egypt.     Maiinonides  finally  became  the 
fonnder  of  a  rational  scriptnral   exe(,resis.     Ter- 
rible contests   between   rival  scliools^'of  relitrion 
and    philosophy   arose;    bnt    IMaiinonides    only 
witnessed  the  beginning  of  the  fierce  conflicts 
He  was  named  "The  Oreat  Eagle,"  "The  IJglit 
of  1  wo  Worlds,"  and  the  "  Light  of  the  Age  " 
He  foiinded  a  college  in  Alexandria,  in  which 
he   delivered    lectures   on    philosophv   and   the 
Jewish  law.     He  died  in   Egypt,  December   12 
1204,  and  was  sincerelv  mourned    in  the   East 
and  111  the  West ;  and  here  in  this  town  of  Ti- 
berias he  IS  buried.     His  tomb  is  a  little  north 
ot  the  town,  beneath  the  new  road  to  Nazareth 
Near  it  are  the  tombs  of  Rabbi  Ami  and  Rabbi 
Jochanan,  and  farther  up  the  hill  is  the  tomb  of 
Rabbi  Akiba,  whose  name  is  known  in  connec- 
tion with  the  revolt  of  Barcochab.     The  tomb 
of  the  celebrated  Talmudist,  Rabbi  Ineir,  is  near 
the  school  of  the  Ashkenazim,  which   is  bevond 
the  baths. 

Ruins  of  Baths.— Along  the  shore  stretch 
the  ruins  of  the  ancient  towu,  which  are  now 
mostly  heaps  of  rubbish.  The  spacious  castle 
is  now  entirely  in  ruins  ;  but  from  this  point  a 
fine  view  is  obtained  of  the  town,  the  beautiful 
lake,  and  the  mountains  stretching  away  to  the 
north.  Attention  is  called  by  some  writers  to 
the  fact  that  here  we  first  meet  with  thf  black 
basalt  as  building  material,  which  was  invariably 
used  beyond  the  Jordan. 

The  hot  baths  are  nearly  three  miles  to  the 


346 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   1.KCTURKS 


\l'  i  I 


•'  I     1 


south  of  the  town,  lyinjjc  a1)oiit  a  mile  from  the 
south  end  of  the  ancient  city  wall,  with  its  re- 
mains of  walls,  bnildin«;s  and  aqueducts,  and 
brokcy  columns.  These  baths  are  supposed  to 
be  an  infallible  cure  for  rheumatism  and  cutane- 
ous diseases.  Amid  all  the  wrecks  of  the  ncij^h- 
borhood,  these  baths  alone  have  preserved  their 
name  and  fame.  They  have  ministered  through 
the  chanj^ing  ap^es  to  the  chanj^-eless  sorrows  of 
humanity.  Patients  still  come  to  them  from  all 
parts  of  Palestine  and  Syria.  June  and  July  are 
the  months  when  the  p;rcatest  numbers  are  pres- 
ent. But  for  these  baths  probably  the  Jews 
would  never  have  been  reconciled  to  this  banned 
city.  It  is  now  one  of  their  four  sacred  cities  in 
the  world.  The  temperature  of  the  most  famous 
spring  is  from  131°  to  142°  P'ahr.  Patients 
sometimes  tent  near  the  springs.  Several 
springs  flow  off  unused  into  the  lake,  leaving 
a  greenish  deposit  on  the  shores.  The  water 
smells  of  sulphur  and  is  bitter  to  the  taste. 
During  the  earthquake  of  1839  the  springs  were 
extremely  hot  and  the  supply  of  water  was  un- 
usually abundant.  Most  of  the  patients  bathe 
in  a  common  basin,  and  when  the  steam  sub- 
sides sufficiently  to  permit  the  patient  to  see  the 
filth  of  the  place,  he  will  need  all  his  nerve  to 
take  a  bath,  even  if  he  were  sure  that  he  would 
be  cured  of  whatsoever  disease  he  might  have. 
The  books  tell  us  some  of  the  legends  con- 
nected with  Tiberias.  The  Jews  love  to  repeat 
the  one  which  declares  that  when  the  Messiah 
comes  he  will  emerge  from  the  lake,  gather  his 


!?i 


*''• 


TOWN    OF   TllJl-KIAS 


3\7 


people  at  Tiberias,  and  then  j^o  in  trinnii>:i  to 
Safed,  where  his  tlirone  will  he  estahlishcd  uid 
he  will  rei<^n  forever  in  ^r,vut  ^lory  and  splen- 
dor. 

Perhaps  t'le  reason  wh-  Christ  avoided  Ti- 
berias is  that  it  was  a  lavorite  residenee  of  the 
crafty  and  lui^crnpulous  Ilcrod  Anlipas,  who 
sa\y  Christ  only  a  littk  time  before  his  ernci- 
fixion.  We  know  tliat  he  n^cncrally  avoided 
these  lialf-C,reek  cities,  lie  was  more  at  home 
with  the  connnon  people  than  with  oflieials  and 
courtiers.  Capernanni  and  Hethsaida  must  have 
been  far  more  healthful  than  Tiberias.  I^.ut  Ti- 
berias abides  while  these  other  cities  have  per- 
ished. Althous^h  Christ  paid  no  visit  to  the  baths 
at  Tiberias,  as  he  did  to  the  ])ool  of  Hethesda, 
there  is  no  doubt  but  that  many  patients  broti^rlit 
to  the  baths  at  Tiberias  and  who  were  not 
healed,  were  finally  laid  at  Christ's  feet  and 
from  him  received  healincr  to  body  and  soul.  Be- 
cause of  Christ's  life  and  spirit  there  is  now  a 
hospital  and  a  staff  of  physicians  in  Tiberias. 
Christ  is  still  the  inspiration  to  all  noblest  deeds 
in  blessing  men  and  honoring  God. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


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^  lis  IIIIIM 


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Sciences 
Cbrporation 


33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  873-4503 


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XXXIII 


FROM   TIBERIAS  TO  TEL   HUM 


r  '  ifl 


WE  left  Tiberias  before  the  break  of  day. 
Soon  it  broke  over  the  Sea  of  Galilee 
and  its  waters  and  snrrounding  hills  were  figlow 
with  the  splendors  of  the  morning  snn.  We 
conld  go  to  the  npper  end  of  the  lake  either  by 
boat  or  by  the  road,  which  is  on  the  side  of  the 
hills,  and  is  abont  tliirty  to  forty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  water.  At  times  the  space  from  the 
path  to  the  shore  is  very  steep  and  rocky.  Soon 
Tiberias  was  hidden  behind  a  rocky  corner  of 
the  elevated  shore ;  but  from  our  saddles,  as  we 
rode  on  the  edge  of  the  bluff,  we  enjoyed  a  su- 
perb view  of  the  opposite  shore,  the  head  of  the 
lake,  and  the  country  both  to  tlie  north  and  the 
south.  The  twin  peaks,  or  horns,  of  Hattin 
were  visible  on  our  left  as  we  rode  along.  On 
our  right  were  several  warm  and  saltish  springs, 
and  we  observed  also  arrangements  for  irrigat- 
ing portions  of  the  land  in  the  vicinity.  Al- 
most opposite  Tiberias  are  Wady  Fik  and  the 
ruins  of  Gamala.  A  fortress  once  stood  here 
which  was  garrisoned  by  Josephus,  but  taken 
by  Vespasian,  A.  d.  69;  and  not  fewer,  it  is  said, 
than  ten  thousand  perished  when  the  garrison 
was  captured,  many  of  whom  leaped  from  the 
348 


FROM   TIBURIAS   TO   TKL   HUM 


349 


walls  and  fell  down  the  precipice.  We  reached 
on  our  left,  about  three  miles  from  Tiberias,  the 
peculiarly  miserable  village  of  Mejdel,  which  is 
identical  with  Magdala,  the  birthplace  of  Mary 
Magdalene,  Mary  of  Magdala.  Perhaps  also  it 
is  identical  with  Migdal-el  of  the  tribe  of  Naph- 
tali.'  Some  place  Taricheac  here,  a  town 
already  mentioned  as  playing  an  important  part 
in  the  war  with  Rome  ;  but  others,  and  perh^ips-- 
witli  good  reason,  place  this  town  near  the  south 
end  of  tlie  lake  of  Tiberias. 

Taricheae  was  almost  of  equal  importance 
with  Tiberias.  In  Pliny's  day  it  gave  its  name 
to  the  lake.  It  was  a  center  of  industry  and 
commerce.  In  the  days  of  Josephus  it  was  fa- 
mous for  its  Jewish  patriotism.  The  only  echo 
of  the  name  now  is  found  at  the  south  end  of 
the  lake.  It  is  a  Greek  word,  and  is  said  by 
Doctor  Smith  to  mean  "pickling  places."  It 
was  a  place  famous  for  curing  the  fish  which 
the  lake  supplied.  These  fish  were  sent  all 
through  the  Roman  world  ;  great  quantities  were 
taken  to  Jerusalem  to  the  feasts,  and  were  sent 
in  barrels  round  the  Mediterranean.  Tarichere 
is  not  mer  doned  in  the  Gospels,  but  n'^'  ;  ^r  is 
Tiberias,  nor  other  places  south  of  Gennesaret. 
It  would  seem  that  neither  Christ  nor  the  disci- 
ples ever  visited  this  region  at  the  south  end  of 
the  lake. 

Mejdel,  or  Magdala,  is  now  a  wretched  hamlet 
of  some  twenty  mud  or  stone  huts.     On  top  of 


'  Josh.  19  :  38. 


ri 


i' 
Pi. 


I 


n 


A    i 


35<^ 


SUNDAY   NIGHT    LECTURES 


these  huts  we  saw  the  l^ooths  built  of  poles  and 
branches  of  trees,  and  placed  about  three  feet 
from  the  roof  of  the  huts,  in  order  to  protect  the 
wretched  peasants  from  the  well-ni^h  ubiquitous 
fleas  and  other  vermin.  Nowhere  else  in  Pal- 
estine did  I  see  more  wretched-looking  people 
than  in  this  hamlet.  But  its  connection  with 
Mary  has  made  the  name  innnortal.  It  is  most 
unfortunate  that  the  name  Magdalen  no  v  sug- 
gests elements  of  character,  or  want  of  charac- 
ter, '.vhich  ought  never  to  be  associated  with  the 
name  of  this  woman.  There  is  not  a  word  in 
the  (iospels  to  justify  this  association  with  the 
name  of  Mary  Magdalene,  which  simply  means 
Mary  of  Magdala.  A  cruel  wrong  to  historic 
truth  and  to  womanly  honor  has  been  done  to 
this  woman  and  her  place  on  the  pages  of  the 
New  Testament. 

There  is  a  small  plain  below  Magdala  to 
whose  vicinity  our  Lord  proljably  came  when 
in  Matt.  15  :  39  it  is  said,  after  the  record  of  the 
miracle  of  the  loaves  and  fishes,  Jesus  "  sent 
away  the  multitude,  and  took  ship  and  came 
into  the  coasts  of  Magdala."  The  connection 
of  ]\Iark  8  :  10  with  the  passage  just  quoted, 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  village  named 
Dalmanutha  was  near  INIagdala ;  and  about  a 
mile  distant  are  copious  fountains  and  ruins 
which  probably  mark  the  place  where  Dalma- 
nutha stood.  The  lake  attains  its  greatest  width 
at  Magdala,  being  about  seven,  some  say  nearly 
eight,  miles  wide,  and  opposite  Magdala  is 
Khersa  or  Gergesa.     A  few  ruined  buildings  are 


/.' 


FROM    TIBKRIAS  TO   TEL   HUM 


351 


here  on  the  sliore  of  tlie  lake.  About  a  mile 
south  of  this  place  the  hills  approach  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  shore,  although  generally  they 
are  recessed  from  one-half  to  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  from  the  water's  edge.  There  is  here  the 
"  steep  place  down  which  the  herd  of  swine  ran 
violently  into  the  sea,  and  so  were  choked." 
It  was  at  Gergesa  that  the  men  possessed  with 
the  devils,  coming  out  of  the  tombs,  met  Jesus.' 
Of  all  our  Lord's  miracles  but  two  were  destruc- 
tive, those  connected  with  the  destruction  of 
the  swine  and  the  fig  tree.  A  careful  study  of 
both  fully  justifies  our  Lord's  acts ;  especially  is 
this  true  in  the  case  of  the  swine,  the  miracle 
which  has  excited  the  sh.arpest  criticism.  Near 
here  Christ  fed  the  five  thousand,  and  from  near 
this  point  seeing  his  disciples  toil  in  rowing  on 
the  lake,  "Jesus  went  unto  them,  walking  on 
the  sea."  ^  The  different  readings  in  the  tiiree 
Gospels  regarding  the  locality  of  Gergesa  have 
occasioned  harmonists  considerable  difficulty ; 
but  the  similarity  of  the  name  Khersa  to  Ger- 
gesa gives  us  a  strong  reason  for  accepting  Mat- 
thew's record  as  correct,  when  he  speaks  of 
Christ  as  coming  into  the  country  of  the  Ger- 
gesenes,  while  Luke  and  John  say  into  that  of 
the  Gadarenes.  Kusebius  and  Origen  are 
authority  for  the  statement  that  there  was  once 
a  village  called  Gergesa  on  the  shore  of  the  lake. 
It  has  also  been  suggested  by  several  writers 
that  the  apparent  discrepancy  may  be  removed 


»  Mott.  8  :  2S-34. 


'Matt.  14  :  25. 


352 


SUNDAY    NltlHT    LICCTURES 


by  the  supposition  that  Gcrgesa  was  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  (iadara. 

A  short  distance  beyond  Maj^dala,  and  still  on 
the  left,  the  hills  recede  westward  from  the  lake, 
and  here  is  the  Wady  Hanian,  or  "  valley  of  the 
doves."  It  descends  from  Khan  Lubiyeh  and 
from  the  Horns  of  Hattin,  and  it  is  crossed  by 
the  caravan  route  between  Nazareth  and  Da- 
mascus. A  mile  and  a  half  farther  on  are  the 
ruins  of  the  castle  of  Kal'at  Ibn  Ma'an,  near 
which  were  the  stronji^ly  fortified  caverns  of 
Irbid,  the  ancient  Arbela.  The  cliffs  here  are 
nearly  one  thousand  two  hundred  feet  high. 
The  castle  consisted  of  caverns  in  the  rock ; 
here  were  connecting  passages,  protecting  walls, 
and  several  cisterns.  This  unique  castle  was 
long  a  haunt  of  fierce  robbers,  and  it  was  to 
them  an  inaccessible  fastness.  These  robbers 
were  long  the  terror  of  the  whole  vicinity. 
Herod  the  Great  finally  overcame  them  by  let- 
ting down  with  ropes  cages  filled  with  soldiers, 
and  the  caverns  were  afterward  occupied  by  her- 
mits. Irbid,  or  Arbela,  is  probably  the  Beth- 
Arbel,  meaning  "  house  of  ambush,"  of  Scrip- 
ture. It  seems  from  early  times  to  have  been 
famous  as  a  stronghold.  In  Hosea  lo  :  14,  we 
read :  "  All  thy  fortresses  shall  be  spoiled,  as 
Shalman  spoiled  Beth-Arbel  in  the  day  of 
battle." 

Land  of  Gennesaret. — Shortly  after  leav- 
ing Magdala  we  enter  upon  the  tract  of  land 
now  called  El-Ghuweir,  the  "  Little  Ghor."     It 


1  -^ 

1 ' 


FROM    TIBERIAS   TO   TKL   HUM 


353 


is  ancient  Cxcnnesarct.     Tlic  name  is  supposed  to 
mean   "  valley  of   the  flowers " ;   or,  as   I   have 
elsewhere   sug^rcstcd,  "gardens  of   the  prince." 
The  plain  is  about  three  miles  lonjr  and  one  mile 
^yide.     The  soil  is  extremely  fertile  and  the  en- 
tire plain  is  copiously  watered  ;  but  the  greater 
part   of    the   plain    is  now  overrun   with   nink 
weeds.    The  cultivated  parts  supply  the  markets 
of  Damascus  and  IJeyrut  with  the  best  melons 
and  cucumbers  grown  in  Palestine.     The  banks 
of  the   lake  and  the  brooks  were  fringed  with 
oleanders  and  nubk ;  and  in  some  places  these 
shrubs,  and  the  cignus  cactus,  grow  in  such  pro- 
fusion that  traveling  among  them  is  well-nigh 
impossible.     In   the   brooks  there  are   tortoises 
and  crayfish,  and  mussels  are  found  in  the  lake. 
There  are  many  large  springs ;  the  most  noted 
is   that   one   whose   name   in    EngMsli  is  "the 
Round  Spring."     It  is  partly  conctiled  among 
the  bushes,  but  its  basin  is  thirty  yards  in  diam- 
eter and  its  water  is  abundant,  clear,  and  cold. 
Many  writers  on  Palestine  quote  the  d(\scrip- 
tion  given  by  Josephus '  of  this  plain.     He  rails 
it  the  "ambition  of  nature,"  and  goes  on  to  give 
a  truly  glowing  iccount  of  the  plain.     He  also 
informs  us  that  "the  people  of  the  country  call 
it  Capharnaum,"  a  remark  which  helps  us  as  to 
the  identity  of  the  site  of  Capernaum.     Probably 
it  was  on  the  beach  of  the  plain  of  Gcnnesaret 
that  in  the  gray  dawn  of  the  morning  the  disci- 
ples, having  toiled  all  night  and  caught  nothing, 


»Vol.  III.,  Chap.  X.,  Sec.  8.  ; 
X 


354 


SUNDAY    NIGHT  LECTURES 


1     I 


r  ij 


saw  a  dim  figure  on  tl:e  shore.  Then  a  voice, 
strange  and  yet  familiar,  called  to  them  :  "  Chil- 
dren, have  ye  any  meat?"  Then  it  was  that  the 
loving  John  recognized  the  Lord,  and  the  im- 
petuous Peier  leaped  into  the  sea  to  reach  the 
Master;  aUv  there  on  the  shore  the  mysterious 
fire  burned,  the  meal  was  spread,  and  the  Lord 
bade  the  disciples  to  come  and  dine.  Then  and 
there  it  was  that  Peter  made  his  three-fold  con- 
fession, and  was  reinstated  in  the  apostolic  office. 
Beside  a  fire  in  the  dawning  of  the  mornl'^g  he 
had  thrice  denied  his  Lord ;  and  at  a  fire  in  the 
dawning  of  the  morning  he  thrice  makes  his 
confession,  is  thrice  tested,  and  is  restored  to  his 
old  place  of  love  and  service. 

We  ride  along  across  the  plain  of  Gennesaret ; 
our  liorses  now  plunging  in  mire  and  no.;  able 
to  go  forward  at  a  brisk  trot.  Small  flies  annoy 
them  and  almost  blind  and  choke  the  riders. 
We  reach  Khan  Minyeh  which  is  now  a  ruin, 
but  which  dates  from  the  time  of  Saladin,  and 
was  doubtless  built  for  the  convenience  of  trav- 
elers from  Damascus.  Doctor  Robinson  con- 
siders that  the  ruins  near  here  are  the  remains 
of  Capernaum,  and  ^lacGregor,  of  the  "Rob 
Roy,"  agrees  with  Doctor  Robinson.  Later  we 
shall  more  fully  examine  this  whole  subject.  We 
walked  our  horses  in  the  ruins  of  a  comparatively 
modern  aqueduct  which  ran  from  A  in  et-Tabiyah 
to  Khan  Minyeh.  Near  here  is  Ain  et-Tin,  or 
the  "  Fig  Spring,"  and  a  little  beyond  is  the 
copious  Ain  et-Tabiyah,  just  mentioned.  This 
name  is  equivalent  to  "  Seven  Springs,"  and  the 


f-  ( 


FROM    TiniCRIAS  TO   TKL   HUM  355 

iieighborliood  was  once  supposed  to  he  the  scene 
of  the  feeding  of  tlie  five  thousand.'     South  of 
this  sprnig  there  is  a  small  German  colony,  once 
under   the   auspices   of    the   (k'rnian    Catholic 
Palestine  Society.     This  is  by  far  the  most  copi- 
ous  spring  m  the  vicinity  ;  its  water  is  brackish, 
and  It  rises  to  the  surface  with  great  force  at  a 
temperature  of  86  y^  °,  although  this  is  not  con- 
sidered warm  in  this  climate.    Some  of  its  water 
IS  carried  off  by  an  aqueduct  to  a  mill  owned  by 
a  nian  of  Safed,  the  only  one  now  in  use  of  five 
built  by  the  great  chieftain,  Dhacr  el-Amr.     It 
IS  certain  from  the  remains  of  remarkable  works 
that  once  the  waters  of  this  spring  were  raised 
high  enough  to  irrigate  many  parts  of  the  plain 
of  Gennesaret.     The  piers  of  arches  can  still  be 
seen  showing  that  the  aqueduct  crossed  the  beds 
of  two  water  courses ;  it  is  evident  that  by  an 
excavation  in  the  solid  rock,  along  which  we 
rode,  the  water  was  carried  around  the  cliff  of 
Khan  Miiiyeh.     The  remains  of  this  great  aque- 
duct arrest  the  attention  of  all  travelers. 

We  are  now  treading  ground  trodden  by  Jesus. 
There  is  the  hallowed  lake.  It  was  the  scene  of 
the  opening  of  our  Lord's  ministry.  Its  neighbor- 
hood was  often  his  chosen  retreat  from  the  wrath 
of  his  foes.  His  sublime  miracles  and  gracious 
parables  have  consecrated  its  waters  and  its 
shores.  From  a  ship  on  its  waters  he  spoke  the 
many  parables  recorded  in  Matthew  thirteen.  Its 
waves  obeyed  his  voice;    its  waters  became  a 

'  Mark  6  :  44. 


35^ 


Sl'XUAY   NIGHT   LKCTUKKS 


pavement  beneath  his  feet.  When  cast  out  from 
Nazarctli,  he  made  his  home  at  Capernaum  on 
its  shore,  which  then  became  "his  own  city." 
Here  he  called  Peter,  James,  and  John,  the  three 
chosen  for  the  inner  circle  of  his  disciples.  Hal- 
lowed lake  !  Christ-visited  shores  !  The  charm 
and  j^lory  of  his  presence  are  still  on  the  land 
and  sea.  The  parable  of  the  Net,  of  the  Lost 
Sheep,  and  of  tlie  Sheep-fold,  carry  us  back  to 
these  sacred  shores.  If  anywhere  this  side  of 
heaven  we  may  see  Jesus  as  he  is,  surely  it  is 
here  by  the  Sea  of  Galilee. 


XXXIV 


CAPERNAUM,    CIIORAZIN,    AND    BKTHSAIDA 

WHAT  can  be  said  of  the  sites  of  these 
famous  cities?  That  question  all  trav- 
elers in  Palestine  try  to  answer.  Probably  it 
will  never  be  answered  with  absolute  ..ertainty. 
We  speak  first  of  Capernaum.  This  name  has 
a  conspicuous  place  in  the  records  of  our  Lord's 
life.  It  is  not  plainly  mentioned  in  the  Old 
Testament,  but  the  passage  in  Isa.  9  :  i  is  ap- 
plied to  it  by  the  evangelist  Matthew.  We 
know  from  the  New  Testament  references  to  it 
that  it  was  on  the  west  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Gali- 
lee  ;  but  they  do  not  enable  us  to  determine  its 
exact  location,  although  we  know  that  it  was  in 
the  plain  of  Gennesaret,  which  all  authorities  of 
the  time  agree  was  one  of  the  richest  and  most 
prosperous  places  in  the  entire  land.  It  is  called  in 
IMatt.  9  :  I  and  in  Mark  i  :  33  a  city ;  and  in 
its  synagogue  our  Lord  often  taught.'  We  are 
distinctly  informed  that  this  synagogue  was 
built  by  the  Roman  centurion  who  was  quar- 
tered in  the  city;  there  were  also  stations  there 
for  the  collection  of  the  customs,  both  by  sta- 
tionary and   by  itinerant  officers. 

Capernaum,    as   we    have   seen,    became   our 


>  Mark  I  :  21  ;  Luke  4  :  ^3,  38. 


357 


;( 


35« 


SUNDAY   NIGHT    LKCTURI-S 


mi 


Lord's  "own  city."  Perhaps  while  Jesus  was 
walking  on  the  the  hcacli  near  the  town  he 
called  I'eter  and  Andrew  to  become  his  disci- 
ples, and  they  heard  the  call  and  followed  him 
as  their  Lord  and  Master.  In  Capernaum,'  Christ 
wrouj^ht  the  miracle  of  healing  on  the  centurion's 
servant.  It  was  here  that  Simon's  wife's  mother 
was  healed  of  her  fever.'  Other  notable  mira- 
cles were  here  performed  ;  and  the  son  of  the 
nobleman  was  a  resident  of  Capernaum,  although 
Christ  was  at  Cana  of  Galilee  when  he  spoke  the 
words  which  brought  the  cure.  And  in  the 
synagogue  at  Capernaum  was  spoken  the  won- 
derful discourse  recorded  in  the  sixth  chapter  of 
John's  Gospel. 

Against  these  cities  our  Lord  spoke  words  of 
fearful  solenniity  ;  and  his  predictions  have  been 
remarkably  fulfilled.  Dean  vStanley  twice  visited 
the  region  and  studied  it  with  the  utmost  care, 
but  he  says,  "  The  disputed  sites  of  the  cities  of 
Gennesaret  must  still  remain  disputed."  It  is 
not  important  topographically  or  spiritually  that 
we  should  settle  the  question ;  but,  of  course,  a 
place  so  connected  with  the  earthly  life  of  our 
Lord  as  was  Capernaum  we  would  be  glad  to 
locate,  if  it  were  possible  so  to  do.  Some  would 
place  it  at  Khan  Minyeh,  as  already  suggested. 
This  mound  of  ruins  takes  its  name  from  the 
old  khan  of  which  I  have  spoken.  It  is  close 
to  the  seashore,  at  the  northwest  extremity  of 
the  plain.     The  spring  of  the  Fig  Tree,  Ain  et- 


»  Matt.  8  :  5. 


2  Matt.  8  :  14. 


I  . 


CAPr:RNAt^M,CI!ORAZIN,  AND  ni-THSAIDA    359 


sus  was 
own  he 
is  disci- 
t'cd  him 
,'  Christ 
iturioii's 

mother 
le  mira- 
i  of  the 
Ithoiijrh 
)oke  the 

in  the 
he  won- 
ipter  of 

'ords  of 
ve  been 
;  visited 
>st  care, 
:ities  of 
'     It  is 
lly  that 
Durse,  a 
of  our 
^lad  to 
:  would 
:gested. 
)m  the 
is  close 
inity  of 
Ain  et- 


Tin,  which  takes  its  name  from  the  fact  that  it 
is  overshadowed  by  a  fig  tree,  is  north  of  these 
ruins.  Robinson,  Porter,  and  MacCircjjor,  of  tlic 
•'Rob  Roy,"  favor  Khan  iMinyeh  as  the  site  of 
Capernaum.  IJut  recent  excavations  of  the 
Kn^rlish  Exploring  Expedition  have  brought  to 
light  nothing  at  Khan  Minyeh  but  fragments 
of  "  masonry  and  pottery  of  comparatively  mod- 
ern date."  Doctor  Robinson  gives  his  argu- 
ments at  length,  but  most  recent  investigations 
seem  to  weaken  and  not  to  strengthen  his  reason 
for  choosing  this  site.  My  dragoman  favored 
this  site,  and  Dr.  George  Adam  Smith  favors 
Khan  Minyeh,  on  the  northern  edge  of  Gen- 
nesaret.     His  words  I  do  well   to  quote: 

The  evidence  is  greatly  in  favor  of  the  latter  site  (Khan 
Minyeh),  and  one  may  fix  the  house  of  Jesus,  as  Mark 
calls  it,  the  birthplace  of  the  gospel,  at  that  northeast 
corner  of  fair  (Icnnesaret,  where  the  waves  beat  now  on  an 
abandoned  shore  ;  but  once  there  was  a  quay  and  busy 
town,  and  the  great  road  from  east  to  west  poured  its  daily 
stream  of  life. 

Doctor  Smith  claims  that  Tel  Hum  is  an  im- 
possible contraction  from  Kephar-Nahum,  the 
village  of  Nahum,  and  that  there  is  no  Tel  at 
the  place,  and  that  Guerin  is  right  in  deriving 
the  name  from  Tanhum,  a  Jewish  rabbi  buried 
there. 

The  Round  Fountain  certainly  answers  better 
the  description  given  by  Josephus  than  docs  the 
spring  of  the  Fig  Tree,  which  is  so  close  to  the 
shore.  We  have  already  seen  that  the  Round 
Fountain  is  near  the  southern  end  of  the  plain 


'Jt. 


w^ 


360 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


of  Gennesaret ;  it  is  so  named  because  enclosed 
by  a  circular  wall  of  mason  work.  Canon  Tris- 
tram claims  that  the  Round  Fountain  furnishes 
niore  authoritative  marks  of  identification  with 
what  Josephus  calls  the  fountain  of  Capernaum 
than  does  either  of  the  other  springs  which  have 
been  named  in  this  connection.  He  calls  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  fever  is  very  jirevalent  even 
no^^*  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Round  Foun- 
tain, and  that  the  dry,  rocky  ground  near  Tel 
Hum  is  comparatively  free  from  it.  This  would 
make  it  the  more  natural  that  we  should  read, 
"Peter's  wife's  mother  lay  sick  of  a  fever"  at 
Capernaum.'  But  on  the  other  hand,  old  itin- 
eraries of  pilgrims.  Doctor  Thomson,  Mr.  Dixon, 
Captain  Wilson,  and  the  English  explorers,  favor 
Tel  Hum.  This  place  is  between  two  and  three 
miles  southwest  of  the  Jordan.  It  consists  of 
about  a  dozen  miserable  huts,  and  is  otherwise 
nov/  a  mass  of  ruins.  On  the  bank  of  the 
lake  is  the  principal  ruin,  which  is  still  partly 
preserved,  which  was,  probably,  once  a  Chris- 
tian church ;  and  on  closer  inspection  *t  is 
seen  to  bear  marks  of  being  composea  of  still 
more  ancient  materials.  Some  suppose  that  it 
enclosed  the  house  of  the  Apostle  Peter,  described 
by  Antonius,  A.  D.  600.  There  are  also  traces 
amid  the  ruins  of  another  building.  It  was 
composed  of  white  limestone,  resembling  marble, 
and  was  about  seventy-five  feet  long  and  fifty- 
seven  feet  wide.     It  is  called  the  "  White  Syna- 


'  Mark  I  :  30. 


CAPERNAUM,  CHORAZIN,  AND  BETHSAIDA    361 


» 


at 


gogue,"  because  of  its  white  material.  Some 
of  the  stones  which  enter  into  its  structure  are 
very  large.  On  the  south  side  tlicp^  are  three 
entrances.  Beautiful  fragments  of  corner  capi- 
tals and  bases  are  scattered  amid  the  ruins.  If 
Tel  Hum  be  indeed  Capernaum,  these  are  doubt- 
less the  remains  of  the  synagogue  built  by  the 
Roman  centurion,'  and  this  is  surely  one  of  the 
most  sacred  places  in  the  world.  It  was  in  this 
synagogue  that  our  Lord  uttered  his  gr^at  dis- 
course on  himself  as  the  Bread  of  Life,"  which 
discourse  marked  an  era  in  our  Lord's  life.  Cap- 
tain Wilson  tells  us  that  on  turning  over  a  large 
block  he  found  a  pot  of  manna  engraved  on  its 
face,  and  remembered  the  words  of  Christ,  "  I 
am  that  bread  of  life.  Your  fathers  did  eat 
manna  in  the  wilderness,  and  are  dead."  These 
ruins  occupy  a  space  a  half  a  mile  long  by  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  broad.  It  is  thought  by  some 
that  Tel  Hum  is  a  corruption  of  a  place  men- 
tioned by  some  Jewish  authors  as  Tankhum  or 
Nakhum;  but  is  not  safe  to  make  any  affirma- 
tion on  that  point.  It  is,  however,  thought  that 
the  ruins  show  that  this  was  originally  a  place 
of  great  importance,  and  would  thus  be  in  har- 
mony with  a  city  wliere  there  were  custom 
houses,  garrisons,  and  other  prominent  public 
buildings.  It  is  certain,  at  least,  that  Christ  and 
his  disciples  often  looked  out  on  the  scene  which 
greeted  our  eyes  that  morning  as  we  rode  among 
these  ruins.     How  terribly  were  our  Lord's  pre- 


»  Luke  7  :  4.  5- 


John  6. 


362 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


\i 

1> 

i  !'(^' 

1  ' 

1''!' 

>  i 
1 

'  ''k 

'  1' 

if 

^'1 

I'll 

i 

ij 

1 

^H            ' 

li^.      .  

dictions  regarding  this  city  fulfilled !  Read 
again  his  solemn  words :  "  And  thou,  Caper- 
naum, which  art  exalted  unto  heaven,  shalt  be 
brought  down  to  hell :  for  if  the  migiity  works, 
which  have  been  done  in  thee,  had  been  done  in 
Sodom,  it  would  have  remained  until  this  day." 

Chorazin. — This  is  also  one  of  the  cities  in 
which  our  Lord's  mighty  works  were  done,  and 
which  came  under  his  righteous  denunciation  : 
"  Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin !  woe  unto  thee, 
Bethsaida !  for  if  the  ^nighty  works,  which  were 
done  in  you,  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon, 
they  would  have  repented  long  ago  in  sackcloth 
and  ashes."  '  And,  "  Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin  ! 
woe  unto  thee,  Bethsaida !  for  if  the  mighty 
works  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon,  which 
have  been  done  in  you,  they  had  a  great  while 
ago  repented,  sitting  in  sackcloth  and  ashes."  ^ 

Doctor  Robinson  makes  Khan  j^.Iinyeh,  Caper- 
naum ;  and  et-Tabiyah,  Bethsaida ;  and  Tel 
Hum,  Chorazin.  But  it  is  now  more  common 
to  find  Chorazin  about  two  and  a  half  miles 
north  of  Tel  Hum.  We  ride  along  a  steep  and 
very  bad  path  until  we  come  to  the  ruins  of 
Kerazeh ;  the  name  is  nearly  the  Arabic  for 
Chorazin.  These  ruins  cover  a  larger  extent 
than  those  at  Tel  Hum.  They  comprise  the  re- 
mains of  a  synagogue  with  Corinthian  capitals 
in  black  basalt.  There  are  also  remains  of  pri- 
vate dwellings  in  a  state  of  fairly  good  preserva- 


>  Matt.  'I  :  21. 


*  Luke  lo  :  13. 


1 !  Read 
11,  Caper- 
,  shalt  be 
ty  works, 
II  done  in 
his  day." 

cities  in 
lone,  and 
iiciation  : 
ito  thee, 
ich  were 
d  Sidon, 
ackcloth 
horazin  ! 

mighty 
1,  which 
at  while 
hes."  2 
I,  Caper- 
nd  Tel 
ronimon 
If  miles 
eep  and 
nins  of 
ibic   for 

extent 

the  re- 
"apitals 

of  pri- 
reserva- 


CAPERNAUM,  CHORAZIX,  AND  BETHSAIDA    363 

tion,  the  walls  bein<i^  still  standing^.  The  houses 
were  generally  square,  the  broadest  measuring 
about  twenty-seven  feet.  Some  of  the  buildings 
had  Ionic  capitals.  The  walls  were  two  feet 
thick,  and  traces  are  found  of  the  columns  in  the 
center  of  the  houses  which  supported  the  roof, 
while  in  the  middle  of  the  town  there  arc  found 
the  remains  of  a  richly  ornamented  synagogue. 
Evidences  that  once  there  was  a  paved  road  to 
the  town  are  seen,  Tombs  of  Bedouin  s/ici/cs^ 
overhung  with  colored  rags,  are  seen  near  a  large 
tree  beside  a  spring  of  water. 

BETHSAIDA. — This  town  was  associated  by 
our  Lord  with  the  two  others  which  came  under 
his  just  judgment.  It  was  "  Bethsaida  of  Gali- 
lee "  ;  it  was  a  city,  was  in  the  land  of  Gennes- 
aret,  and  was  the  native  place  of  Andrew,  Peter, 
and  Philip.  It  was  evidently  near  Capernaum 
and  Chorazin.  The  ordinary  interpretation  of 
the  name,  "  house  of  fish,"  would  indicate  that 
it  must  have  been  close  to  the  water's  edge.  A 
comparison  of  the  narratives  in  IVIark  6  :  31-53 
and  Luke  9  :  10-17,  shows  that  there  must  have 
been  a  Bethsaida  on  the  east  as  well  as  on  the 
west  of  the  Lake.  In  the  narrative  in  Luke 
Bethsaida  is  named  as  the  place  where  the 
miracle  occurred  ;  but  in  the  narrative  in  IMark 
the  disciples  are  said  to  have  crossed  the  lake 
"to  Bethsaida  in  the  land  of  Gennesaret."  It 
would  seem  that  at  the  northeastern  extremity 
of  the  lake  there  was  a  village  rebuilt  by  Philip 
the  Tetrarch  and  named  Julias,  after  the  daugh- 


«•  ,1 

1" 


364 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


-.:<  I   >' 


rl 


ter  of  the  Emperor  Augustus.  Fhilip  was  buried 
here  in  a  magnificent  tomb.  This  was  Bethsaida 
Julias  and  tliere,  it  would  seem,  the  feeding  of 
the  five  thousand  occurred.  It  is  remarkable 
that  the  two  Bethsaidas  should  be  mentioned  in 
one  narrative.  This  Western  Bethsaida  was  the 
frequent  residence  of  Jesus.  Tlie  site  long 
eluded  the  search  of  travelers.  The  ingenious 
Reland  helped  greatly  to  remove  difficulties  of 
interpretation  by  suggesting  these  two  Bethsa- 
idas, one  on  the  east  and  the  other  on  the  west 
shore  of  the  lake.  If  the  name  means  a  "  house 
of  fishing"  nothing  would  be  more  natural  than 
to  give  the  name  to  more  tlian  one  place,  espe- 
cially where  fishing  was  so  common  a  business 
as  on  the  shores  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  It  is  only 
fair,  however,  to  say  that  Doctor  Thomson  be- 
lieves that  there  was  only  one  Bethsaida,  Beth- 
saida-Julias,  and  that  it  was  built  on  both  sides 
of  the  Jordan,  and  so  was  partly  in  Galilee.  I 
am  disposed,  always,  to  attach  importance  to  his 
opinion ;  but  this  view  does  not  satisfactorily 
meet  the  conditions  of  the  sacred  narrative. 

A  day  might  well  be  spent  in  this  vicinity  if 
the  tourist  could  spare  the  time.  I  was  at  times 
wearied  with  visits  to  improbable  grottoes  and  to 
doubtful  churches  marking  very  doubtful  sites  ; 
but  here  one  was  absolutely  certain  that  he 
looked  upon  mountains,  sea,  and  sky,  as  Christ 
and  his  disciples  saw^  them,  and  one  could  feel 
reasonably  sure  that  he  was  treading  in  substan- 
tially the  footprints  of  the  blessed  Master.  The 
rest  which  might  be  enjoyed  here,  if  it  were  not 


'    I 


CAPERNAUM,  CHORA2IN,  AND  BETIISAIDA    365 

the  season  of  flies,  would  be  grateful  indeed. 
The  bathing  also,  in  the  bay  of  et-Tabiyah,  is 
said  to  be  better  than  at  any  other  bathing-place 
in  Palestine ;  and  the  moonlight  on  the  lake, 
shores,  and  more  distant  hills,  is  delightful  in  the 
extreme.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  place  in 
any  country  where  the  moonlight  effects  are 
more  pleasing  than  here.  I  can  fully  endorse 
the  words  of  a  recent  writer  who  says : 

Never  will  the  night  that  closed  that  delightful  day  in  the 
environs  of  "his  own  city"  be  forgotten  by  me.  It  was 
brilliant  moonlight,  and  standing  upon  the  cliff  above  our 
camping-jdace,  the  white  houses  of  Tiberias  were  distinctly 
visible  ;  the  waters  of  the  lake  lay  calm  and  placid  as  when 
he  said  :  "Peace,  be  still,  and  there  was  a  great  calm"  ; 
the  inequalities  and  want  of  coloring  in  the  hills,  which  had 
been  noticeable  in  the  broad  sunshine,  were  not  per':cptible 
now  ;  around  us  were  the  "  desert  places"  and  the  "moun- 
tain-tops" which  had  been  the  scene  of  his  resting  and  his 
prayers.  Capernaum,  Bethsaida,  Chorazin — mounds  of 
rubbish,  tangles  of  thistles,  heaps  of  ruins — these  have  been 
cist  down,  and  have  passed  away;  but  the  "mighty 
works"  r.main,  still  powerful  in  blessing;  and  the  "gra- 
cious words"  are  as  fresh,  as  beautiful,  and  as  life-giving  as 
when  he  uttered  them. 


Most  solemn  is  the  literal  and  terrible  fulfill- 
ment of  our  Lord's  words  :  "  Then  began  he  to 
upbraid  the  cities  wherein  mo.st  of  his  mighty 
works  were  done,  because  they  repented  not."  ' 
This  was  the  dominant  impression  on  mind  and 
heart.  Christ  was  a  solemn  preacher.  He 
uttered  fearful  "  woes,"  but  he  baptized  them  in 


1  Matt.  II  :  20  24. 


'   ;< 


z(>(> 


SUNDAY  NIGHT  LECTURES 


loving  tears.  All  his  other  words  must  be  ful- 
hlled  ;  not  one  jot  or  tittle  shall  fail.  Let  us  be 
warned  by  his  terrible  threaienings ;  let  us  be 
sweetly  inspired  by  his  blessed  promises.     Pal! 

ti^^lL^theS^'^'^^^^P^^^^^^ 


f>\  ^ 


XXXV 

FROM   CAPERNAUM    TO   C/ESAREA-PHII.IPPI 

WE  slowly  climbed  from  the  Sea  of  Galilee 
over  the  rough  pathway;  but  horribly 
bad  as  is  this  road,  it  was  the  old  caravau  road 
betweeu  Egypt  and  Damascus.  On  reaching  the 
height,  we  could  look  backward  to  the  whole  of 
the  Sea  of  Galilee  and  to  Lake  Huleh,  or  the 
waters  of  Merom,  and  farther  on  to  Lebanon 
and  Hernion. 

In  due  time  we  reach  the  Khan  Yubb  Yusef, 
or  Khan  of  Joseph's  Well.  This  name  is  given 
to  this  well  because  of  the  groundless  tradition 
that  into  this  well  Joseph  was  cast  by  his 
brethren.  The  Khan  is  very  dirty,  and  the  well 
is  not  more  attractive  than  the  Khan.  Safed  is 
distant  about  an  hour  and  a  half  from  this 
Khan.  Safed  takes  high  rank  among  the  places 
of  interest  in  the  Holy  Land.  It  is  one  of  the 
four  holy  cities  in  Palestine,  regarding  which  it 
is  said  by  the  Jews  that  if  prayer  should  cease 
to  be  offered  in  them  the  world  would  speedily 
come  to  an  end ;  the  other  three  are  Jerusalem, 
Hebron,  and  Tiberias.  In  the  Talmud  of  Jeru- 
salem the  name  of  Safed,  or  Safat,  occurs ;  the 
place  was  also  known  by  its  present  name  to  the 
Arabian  geographers.     In  1140  the  castle  here 

367 


I 


368 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURES 


'     ( 


(  '( 


•  ij 


was  erected,  and  Saladin  had  ^reat  difficulty  in 
reducing  the  fortress.  The  sultan  of  Damascus, 
fcariu}^  that  the  Christians  nii<(ht  establish  them- 
selves here  aj^ain,  demolished  the  castle  in  1220; 
but  the  Templars  restored  it.  In  1266  it  sur- 
rendered to  IJeibars,  who  massacred  the  surviv- 
An  earthquake  in  1759  proved   very  de- 


ors. 


structive,  and  in  1799  it  was  for  a  time  occupied 
by  the  French.  In  the  sixteenth  century  a  Jew- 
ish colony  was  founded  there,  and  a  famous  rab- 
binical school  was  org^anized.  The  earliest 
teachers  were  Spanish  Jews.  There  were  here 
eighteen  synagogues,  and  all  forms  of  learning 
of  the  time  were  pursued,  and  especially  the 
cabalistic,  which  was  much  affected  by  certain 
schools.  The  town  is  still  one  of  the  chief  seats 
of  modern  Judaism.  U  contains  both  the  Ash- 
kenazim  and  Sephardim  Hebrews,  tlie  two  di- 
visions amounting  to  about  four  to  five  thou- 
sand. The  majority,  however,  are  Ashkenazim, 
or  Polish  immigrants,  under  Austrian  protection. 
Polygamy  is  still  practised  among  the  Sephardim 
Jews.  All  the  Jewish  houses  are  very  dirty,  and 
the  people  are,  in  many  ways,  undesirable  neigh- 
bors. But  no  earnest  Hebrew  visiting  the  Holy 
I^and  would  fail  to  visit  Safed  as  one  of  the 
sacred  shrines  of  the  land.  The  whole  popula- 
tion is  about  twenty-five  thousand,  of  whom 
eleven  thousand  are  Moslems.  The  Greek 
Christians  have  a  church  ;  and  there  are  here 
stations  of  the  English  and  the  Scotch  missions 
to  the  Jews.  The  houses  are  built  in  terraces 
rising   in   succession   above   one  another.      To 


FROM  CAPERNAUM  TO  C/KSARKA-PIIILIPPI    369 


reach  the  higher  tier  the  roofs  of  the  next  lower 
are  used  as  a  pathway.  The  lofty  situation  of 
the  city  makes  it  very  healthful,  especially  when 
compared  with  the  temperature  of  Tiberias ;  its 
situation  also  has  led  many  to  suppose  that  our 
Lord  had  it  in  mind  when  he  said  :  "  A  city  set 
on  a  hill,  which  cannot  be  hid."  '  JJut  the  refcr- 
enc*.  is  very  doubtful,  as  probably  there  was  no 
city  here  in  Christ's  day.  The  ruined  castle 
built  by  the  Franks  during  the  Crusades  stands 
on  the  highest  part  of  the  hill.  The  Turkish 
governor  of  the  town  had  his  quarters  here  as 
late  as  1837,  when  the  terrible  eartliquake  oc- 
curred. To  the  west  rises  the  beautifully 
wooded  Jebel  Zebud,  three  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  fifty-six  feet,  and  also  Jebel  Jermak, 
three  thousand  nine  hundred  and  thirty-six  feet. 
This  is  said  to  be  the  highest  mountain  in  Pales- 
tine on  the  west  side  of  the  Jordan.  The  town 
itself  is  two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  foity- 
uine  feet  high,  being  the  highest  in  Galilee. 
Owing  to  the  method  of  constructing  the  houses 
the  earthquake,  mentioned  as  having  taken  place 
in  1837,  was  fearfully  destructive.  l3octor  Tlioni- 
son  gives  the  thrilling  account.  It  occurred  at 
the  same  time  as  the  one  in  Tiberias.  Safed 
was  dashed  to  the  ground  in  half  a  minute. 
Each  successive  row  of  houses  was  buried 
deeper  and  deeper  by  the  accumulated  masses 
of  the  houses  in  the  higher  tiers.  Doctor 
Thomson  exclaims : 


:|! 


,1 


»  Matt.  5  :  14. 
Y 


'>! 


i  « 


I    ( 


370 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


O  God  of  mercy  !  my  heart  even  now  sickens  at  the 
thought  of  that  loi.g,  black  winter's  night,  which  closed 
around  the  wretched  remnants  of  Safed  in  half  an  hour 
after  the  overthrow,  without  a  light  or  possibility  of  getting 
one,  four-fifths  of  the  population  under  the  ruins,  dead  or 
dying,  with  frightful  groans  and  shrieks  of  agony  and  de- 
spair, and  the  earth  trembling  and  shaking  all  the  while,  as 
if  affrighted  at  the  horrible  desolation  she  had  wrought. 

It  is  believed  that  not  fewer  than  four  thou- 
sand Jews  and  Christians  and  one  thousand  Mos- 
lems perished,  being  more  than  one-half  of  the 
population  of  that  time. 


Some  Other  Towns. — It  is  not  necessary  to 
speak  at  length  of  other  places  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. Meiron  is  famous  in  Jewish  literature 
and  also  as  containing  the  tombs  of  celebrated 
Talmudists.  It  is  supposed  that  Hillel,  the 
grandfather  of  Gamaliel,  at  whose  feet  the  Apos- 
tle Paul  sat,  is  buried  here.  His  tomb  is  cut 
out  of  the  solid  rock  ;  it  is  about  twenty-five 
feet  long,  eighteen  feet  wide,  and  ten  feet  high. 
There  are  also  many  niches  for  bodies ;  but  no 
trace  of  any  remains  of  the  dead  is  now  to  be 
seen.  There  are  here  the  ruins  of  a  synagogue, 
one  of  whose  walls  is  nearly  perfect.  Kefr 
Birim  is  about  two  hours  distant  toward  the 
northwest.  It  is  largely  occupied  by  Maronites. 
Here  also  there  are  remains  of  a  synagogue ; 
and  here  also  came  the  Jews  once,  as  this  was  a 
place  of  pilgrimage.  Tradition  asserted  that 
Barak,  Obadiah,  Queen  Esther,  and  others  were 
buried  here.     But  some  of  these  historical  per- 


FROM  CAPKRNAUM  TO  CKSARKA-I'HILII'PI    37 1 

souages  have  liad  several  burial  places,  and  one 
is  pu/zled  to  know  how  they  furnished  a  body 
for  each.  Not  f;'r  distant  is  Kedcs,  the  ancient 
Kedesh-Naphtali ;  another  place  on  a  hilltop  is 
pointed  out  as  the  site  of  the  ancient  Hazor  ;  but 
this  location  is  the  subject  of  sharp  controversy. 
It  is  affirmed  that  a  rocky  hilltop  was  not  a  suit- 
able place  for  the  development  of  its  power, 
which  consisted  largely  in  war  chariots.  We 
know  that  it  was  somewhere  near  Kedesh  and 
the  Lake  Huleh,  this  much  beinj^  clear  from  the 
narrative  in  Joshua  11,  12.  Joshua  took  Hazor, 
smote  the  kinji^  with  the  sword,  and  burned  the 
city.  Hazor  was  rebuilt  and  finally  became  the 
residence  of  Jabin,  the  captain  of  whose  host 
was  Sisera,  whom  Deborah  and  Barak  defeated 
and  whom  Jael  slew. 

Lake  Hulkh. — If  we  were  to  go  back  to 
Khan  Ynbb  Yusef  and  resume  at  that  point 
the  journey  direct  from  Tiberias  to  lianias,  we 
would  reach  the  beautiful  stream  Nahr  Hen- 
dah,  and  see  on  the  hill  above  it  the  ruins  of 
Kasyun,  including,  as  it  is  supposed,  remains  of 
a  temple,  a  synagogue,  and  two  reservoirs.  A 
charming  spot  for  luncheon  and  sirs/a  is  Ain 
Mellahah  ;  this  vicinity  has  been  called  "  a  land 
of  springs  and  fountains."  Here  there  is  grass 
in  abundance ;  here  an  old  mill,  which  was 
busily  at  work  as  we  passed ;  here  welcome 
shade  and  many  other  attractions.  But  we 
pressed  on  to  Huleh.     In  the  Old  Testament ' 

> Josh.  II  :  5-7. 


372 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


7      I 


>» 


this  lake  is  called  "the  waters  of  Meroin." 
Sonic  have  supposed  that  it  is  connected  with 
the  Araniiean  Hiil,'  hut  better  authorities  deem 
this  questionable.  Josephus  called  the  neigh- 
borhood Ulatha  and  the  water  Lake  Saniachon- 
ites.  IJut  some  doubt  whether  this  lake  is 
identical  with  Huleh  and  whether  it  is  identi- 
cal with  JVIeroni ;  all  these  points  are  still  in 
dispute.  The  lake  is  a  triangular  basin,  about 
five  miles  long,  three  to  four  broad,  and  ten  to 
fifteen  feet  deep,  and  lying  high  above  the  sea 
level.  The  size  of  the  lake  dififers  much  at  dif- 
ferent seasons  of  the  year.  In  certain  seasons 
much  ground  about  the  lake  is  swampy.  Water- 
fowl, including  pelican  and  wild  duck,  here 
abound  ;  but  marshes  often  render  it  difficult  to 
approach  the  lake  on  the  north  side,  especially 
as  on  this  side  there  is  a  dense  jungle  of  papy- 
rus. Much  of  the  bed  of  the  valley  is  a  place  in 
which  the  buffaloes  of  the  Bedouins  delight  to 
wallow.  The  Bedouins  spend  much  time  in 
hunting  and  fishing  in  the  vicinity  of  the  lake, 
and  are  among  the  most  peaceable  of  their  class. 
It  was  at  these  waters  that  Jabin,  king  of  Hazor, 
gathered  all  the  kings  of  the  snrrounding  peo- 
ples; they  were  nnmerons  as  the  sand  of  the 
seashore,  and  their  horses  and  chariots  were 
many ;  and  it  was  here  that  the  Lord  delivered 
them  into  the  hands  of  Joshua.'' 

We  spent  the  night  in  the  new  and  prosperous 
town  near  the  lake.     This  town  is  chiefly  com- 


I 


'  Gen.  10  :  23. 


'Josh.  II  :4-8. 


Meroni." 
ted  with 
ics  deem 
;   neigli- 
inaclion- 
lake   is 
1   identi- 
still  in 
II,  about 
I  ten  to 
the  sea 
1  at  dif- 
seasoiis 
Water- 
\z,    here 
iciilt  to 
Decially 
f  papy- 
)lace  in 
ight  to 
inie   in 
e  lake, 
r  class. 
Hazor, 
g  peo- 
of   the 
i   were 
livered 

perous 
/  com- 


FROM  CAPKRNAUM  TO  CKSARKA-PHILIPPI   ;^7^ 

posed  of  Russian  Jews,  who  through  the  kind- 
ness of  Baron  Hirsch  and  other  benefactors  have 
been  able  to  secure  land  here,  to  build  houses, 
and  to  organize  various  industries.  The  Turkish 
government  is  very  jealous  of  these  Jews ;  and 
it  has  forbidden  tlicin  to  come  except  in  com- 
paratively small  numbers.  But  still  they  come. 
Here  they  are  irrigating  the  soil,  planting  vines, 
and  engaging  in  the  manufacture  of  silk.  There 
is  pleasure  in  seeing  new  buildings  in  this  land 
of  ruins.  Here  are  signs  of  vigorous  industry. 
In  its  newness  and  prosperity  this  town  reminds 
one  of  some  western  town  in  the  United  States. 
The  people  we  found  to  be  intelligent,  indus- 
trious, and  ambitious.  Many  of  them  speak 
French  and  German,  and  a  few  of  them  Knglish. 
I  cannot  recommend  the  hotel  at  which  we 
stopped.  Too  much  in  certain  ways  is  given  for 
the  price  charged  ;  there  is  unavoidably  too  much 
"  bodily  exercise  "  at  night,  and  we  have  apos- 
tolic authority  for  saying  that  such  exercise 
profiteth  little.  Tlie  black  bread  and  other  table 
luxuries,  except  the  grapes,  1  cannot  recommend. 
But  improvements  are  constantly  going  forward  ; 
and,  doubtless,  one  may  before  many  years  travel 
all  over  Palestine  in  a  palace  car  on  a  good  rail- 
way, and  put  up  at  first-class  hotels.  These  im- 
provements will  be  welcomed  by  many,  but  they 
will  take  away  something  of  the  archaic  charm 
of  this  ancient  land. 

Tel  el-Kadi,  or  Dan,  "A  Judge." — Before 
daylight,  after  a  night's  battle  which  made  get- 


374 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


;■  !■!.■ 


m  'I 


P1C5 


III ' 


1 1 


ting  up  a  luxury,  we  started  for  Banias  by  way 
of  Dan.  Along  the  shores  of  Huleh  we  saw  a 
large  caravan  approaching,  men,  women,  drago- 
mans, servants,  horses,  and  donkeys.  From 
many  we  were  soon  saluted  with  a  "  Howdy," 
which  led  me  to  recognize  the  party  as  Ameri- 
cans from  Lhe  Southern  States.  I  was  expecting 
to  meet  a  party  of  Southern  Baptists,  and  I  as- 
sumed this  was  that  party.  Soon  my  dragoman 
called  out  my  name  and  residence,  and  we  were 
shaking  hands  and  exchanging  Christian  greet- 
ings and  fraternal  salutations.  Meeting  with 
this  company  of  Americans,  Christians,  and  Bap- 
tists in  that  far-off  land,  as  I  was  traveling  alone, 
was  like  a  gleam  of  sunshine  on  a  cloudy  day. 
My  heart  responded  with  sincerity  to  the  good 
wishes  extended.  Some  of  this  party  I  have 
since  welcomed  in  the  Calvary  Church,  New 
York. 

So  we  pressed  onward,  and  soon  we  were  at 
Tel  el-Kadi,  the  hill  of  the  judge.  No  doubt 
this  mound  corresponds  to  the  Dan  of  Scripture 
and  the  Laisli  of  the  Phoenicians.  The  mound  is 
nearly  fifty  feet  above  the  plain  ;  it  is  about  one- 
quarter  of  a  mile  in  diameter.  On  the  top, 
under  a  fine  oak,  is  a  Moslem  tomb.  Descend- 
ing a  rocky  slope  on  the  west  side  of  a  hill  a 
basin  is  reached  from  which  bursts  a  copious  and 
crystal  spring.  It  is  large  enough  at  once  to 
form  a  considerable  river ;  it  flows  off  through 
the  plain,  and  several  sparkling  rills  soon  join  it, 
the  course  of  the  stream  being  marked  by  abun- 
dant  vegetation.      I   dismoun*^?d,    and   leaning 


'i 


FROM  CAPERNAUM  TO  CKSAREA-PIHUPPI    375 


over  the  blocks  of  basalt  I  drank  out  of  the 
pool.  I  was  drinking  the  clear,  cold  water  of 
one  of  the  sources  of  the  Jordan.  The  union  of 
these  various  streams  is  called  El-Leddan.  Jo- 
seplius  calls  it  the  "Little  Jordan."  Of  the 
sources  of  the  Jordan  I  shall  speak  more  in  de- 
tail in  the  next  chapter ;  but  here  I  tnay  say  that 
this  is  popularly  supposed  to  be  the  chief  source 
of  the  historic  river ;  it  certainly  is  much  larger 
than  the  stream  which  rises  under  the  rock  at 
Banias.  The  stream  at  Dan  is  five  hundred  and 
four  feet  above  the  sea  level. 

The  Arabic  word  Kadi  and  the  Hebrew  word 
Dan  are  synonymous  and  mean,  judge.  On 
this  mound,  and  on  the  other  behind  it,  stood 
the  ancient  city  and  citadel  of  Dan.  It  marked 
the  north  boundary  of  the  Holy  Land.  This 
fact  gave  rise  to  the  expression  "  From  Dan  to 
Beer-sheba."  Laish  was  the  name  of  the  place 
before  its  conquest  by  the  Danites,'  later  it  was 
conquered  by  Ben-hadad,  King  of  Syria.^  A 
hurried  glance  at  this  history  will  give  reality  to 
this  place.  When  Abraham  followed  the  captors 
of  Lot,  he  "  went  even  unto  Dan."  This,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  the  most  northerly  city  of  Pales- 
tine. Painful  is  the  story  of  the  conquest  of  the 
Danites ;  too  often  might  made  right  in  those 
lawless  days.  At  Dan  Jeroboam  set  up  one  of 
the  calves  of  idolatrous  worship,  the  other  being 
at  Bethel,  as  substitutes  for  the  true  worship  of 
the  true  God.     At  the  southwest  corner  of  the 


1  Judges  l8  :  27. 


'  I  Kings  15  :  20, 


37^ 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


mound  is  pointed  out  the  spot  where  the  image 
was  placed. 

In  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  after  passing 
many  chimps  of  bushes,  crossing  many  murmur- 
ing streams,  and  looking  out  over  the  hills  of 
Bashan  and  the  glorious  mountains  of  the  north 
we  reached  Banias,  or  Csesarea-Philippi,  so  ro- 
mantic m  Itself  and  so  fragrant  with  the  memory 
of  Christ  and  his  apostles. 


4^      I 


XXXVI 


BANIAS — THE   ANCIENT  C^SAREA-PHILIPPI 

HAD  I  been  with  a  campino:  party,  doubtless 
we  would  have  selected  a  place  near  the 
beautiful  stream  which  flows  from  under  the 
rock,  and  which  is  one  of  the  sources  of  the  Jor- 
dan, upon  which  to  locate  our  camp.  But  as  I 
was  alone  and  without  a  tent,  we  sought  the 
house  of  the  chief  man  of  the  town.  We  were 
cordially  welcomed  and  given  the  whole  of  the 
"upper  room" — the  entire  upper  story,  which 
was  all  one  room.  IMats  were  placed  on  the 
floor  and  rugs  on  the  mats ;  the  sweet  fresh  air 
was  cool  and  most  welcome.  But  notwithstand- 
ing the  interesting  secular  history,  and  the  most 
tender  associations  of  Christ  and  his  apostles 
which  cluster  about  this  town,  I  shall  never  for- 
get the  trials  of  the  night  spent  there.  Occa- 
sional twinges  of  toothache  did  not  sweeten  the 
hours  as  I  lay  awake  in  vigorous  and  generally 
fruitless  "  bodily  exercise  "  during  the  hours  of 
what  seemed  to  be  the  most  trying  night  I  ever 
spent. 

The  whole  town  was  in  a  state  of  feverish  ex- 
citement over  the  expected  outbreak  of  war  be- 
tween the  Druses  and  the  Metawilehs.  This 
latter  tribe  possesses  many  villages  in  Lebanon. 

377 


4) 
W 


1 


378 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


!i.  i 


lU 


They  have  long  been  at  war  with  the  Druses, 
who  for  centuries  liave  held  themselves  aloof 
from  the  other  inhabitants  of  Syria,  although 
they  are  of  mixed  Syrian  and  Arabian  origin. 
Did  space  permit,  it  would  be  interesting  to  give 
an  account  of  the  history  and  beliefs  of  these 
two  tribes ;  but  those  especially  interested  can 
elsewhere  examine  the  subject.  Terrible  tales 
were  being  circulated  through  Banias  at  the 
time  of  our  arrival.  It  was  said  that  a  party  of 
three  Englishmen  had  just  been  robbed  of  money, 
watches,  horses,  mules,  and  everything  which 
they  had  on  their  journey,  and  that  their  lives 
were  saved  with  difficulty.  Other  stories  were 
told  of  a  traveler  who  had  been  robbed  and  mur- 
dered, and  his  murderer  had  recently  been  dis- 
covered, but  was  not  likely  ever  to  be  punished. 
It  is  well  known  that  the  Turkish  Government 
has  never  been  able  to  exercise  more  than  a 
nominal  authority  over  the  wild  tril^  -  east  of 
the  Jordan  and  in  the  Lebanon  district.  It  was 
said  that  thousands  of  both  tribes  were  assem- 
bled near  and  that  a  great  battle  would  probably 
be  fought  the  next  day.  That  day  was  Sunday, 
and  we  expected  to  spend  it  here ;  but  it  seemed 
best  to  get  a  sAei'^  of  the  Druses  as  our  protector 
and  to  continue  our  journey  that  day.  Protest- 
ing against  the  imposition,  my  dragoman  secured 
that  evening  the  man  to  lead  us  over  the  moun- 
tains. We  had  to  allow  him  to  rob  us  of  a  con- 
siderable sum  that  he  might  keep  his  fierce  peo- 
ple from  robbing  us  of  a  greater  sum,  or  perhaps 
taking  all  we  had,  if  not  our  lives  also.     With 


'J 


BANIAS — ANCIENT   C^SAREA-PHIUPPI    379 


this  preparation,  and  not  in  the  best  of  temper  or 
spirits,  we  went  ont  in  the  bcantifnl  afternoon  to 
see  Banias  and  its  trnly  beautiful  environs. 

Historic  Glances.  —  Names  are  thino^s. 
Whence  comes  the  name  Banias?  It  is  just  the 
Greek  Paneas.  But  whence  came  the  name 
Paneas  ?  The  town  was  so  named  because  here 
there  was  a  sanctuary  of  Pan.  This  sanctuary 
adjoined  the  cavern  whence  flows  one  of  the 
sources  of  the  Jordan.  When  Herod  the  Great 
received  from  Augustus  a  territory  which  in- 
cluded Paneas,  he  erected  over  the  spring  a  tem- 
ple in  honor  of  Augustus  Ccesar.  His  son, 
Philip  the  Tetrarch,  inherited  a  district  of  which 
Paneas  was  a  part,  and  he  enlarged  the  town  and 
called  it  Csesarea,  in  honor  of  Tiberius  Ccesar ; 
but  as  there  was  on  the  ]\Iediterranean  a  town  of 
this  name,  he  added,  as  the  distinguishing  ap- 
pellative, the  word  Philippi.  Agrippa  H.  named 
it  Neronias,  but  this  name  soon  passed  away, 
and  it  came  to  be  known  as  Ccesarea-Philippi,  or 
Paneas,  now  Banias.  Perhaps  this  place  corre- 
sponds with  Baal-gad,  if  Baalbek  is  not  on  that 
site,  the  northern  boundary  of  Joshua's  victories. 
It  is  also  probably  the  most  northern  point  which 
our  Lord  ever  visited.'  Almost  without  doubt 
Banias  is  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  our 
Lord's  transfiguration,  and  it  was  here  that  the 
Apostle  Peter  made  his  great  confession  of  Christ. 
By  a  misinterpretation  of  this  the  Roman  Church 


>  Matt.  i6  :  13  ;  Mark  8  :  27. 


■(', 


38o 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


has  given  him  a  place  which  our  Lord  never  in- 
tended, and  which  Peter  would  have  been  the 
first  to  reject.  After  the  capture  of  Jerusalem 
Titus  here  celebrated  that  victory  uy  great  gladi- 
atorial shows,  in  which  many  Jewish  captives 
were  obliged  to  contend,  now  with  wild  beasts 
and  now  with  one  another.  In  the  fourth  cen- 
tury a  bishopric  was  founded  here.  Banias  was 
surrended,  after  various  changes  in  its  owner- 
ship, to  the  Christians  during  the  Crusades  in 
1230,  an.d  also  the  lofty  fortress  of  Subeibeh,  of 
which  fuller  mention  will  soon  be  made. 


/  :', 


\'i 


Situation  and  Description. — The  situa- 
tion of  the  town  is  exceptionally  beautiful ;  one 
will  travel  far  before  he  will  find  a  more  delight- 
ful combination  of  mountains,  groves,  streams, 
rocks,  and  plains.  It  is  in  a  nook  of  Hermon, 
one  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above 
the  sea-level,  between  two  valleys,  while  a  third 
valley  opens  to  the  north  from  a  deep-wooded 
ravine.  Streams  flow  in  every  direction,  mak- 
ing the  air  cool  and  giving  it  the  melody  of  their 
murmurs.  The  abundance  of  the  water  gives 
luxuriance  to  all  forms  of  vegetation ;  and  the 
water  is  borne  off  in  many  channels  to  irrigate 
the  fields  far  down  the  valleys.  The  villages 
consist  of  between  fifty  and  sixty  houses  and  a 
few  shops.  Into  the  walls  of  many  cf  these 
houses  are  built  materials  representing  a  former 
civilization  and  giving  evidence  of  classic  beauty ; 
this  is  especially  true  of  the  house  of  the  sheik 
of  the  village,  although  it  did  not  boast  a  table 


H' 


BANIAS— ANCIENT   CESARKA-PHILIPPI    381 


or  chair  or  bed.  Most  of  the  houses  are  within 
the  ancient  castle  wall ;  there  are  remains  of 
columns  which  show  that  the  ancient  city  was 
much  more  extensive  than  the  modern  village. 
There  is  a  rough  bridge  over  the  Jordan,  com- 
posed of  antique  pillars.  The  parts  of  the 
ancient  citadel,  which  can  still  be  seen,  show 
that  its  walls  and  towers  were  massive  indeed. 
Parts  of  the  corner  towers  of  the  walls  arc  still 
preserved,  which  show  that  they  were  round  and 
constructed  of  great  blocks.  As  in  ]\Iagdala  and 
elsewhere,  we  saw  here  on  the  roofs  of  many 
houses  booths  of  green  branches,  raised  several 
feet  on  stout  posts,  to  protect  the  people  from 
lizards,  scorpions,  and  vermin  of  many  kinds. 
From  the  bridge,  the  citadel,  and  other  parts  of 
the  town  and  the  vicinity,  many  most  picturesque 
views  can  be  had. 

But  the  most  attractive  spot  in  Banias  is  the 
rock  from  beneath  which  flows  the  copious  stream 
which  is  one  of  the  sources  of  the  Jordan  ;  in- 
deed, the  water  bursts  forth  in  a  series  of  streams 
which  finally  make  a  copious  brook.  The 
mountain  is  immensely  interesting.  It  ends 
here  in  an  abrupt  cliff  of  limestone ;  perhaps  it 
has  been  broken  away  by  convulsions  of  nature 
through  many  centuries.  In  the  face  of  this 
cliff  is  a  cave  or  grotto  which  was  once  the  sanc- 
tuary of  Pan  ;  it  was  the  Pancum,  hence  the 
name  of  the  town,  Paneas.  On  the  face  of  the 
cliff  are  several  votive  niches,  which  doubtless 
were  once  much  higher  from  the  ground  than 
they  now  are.     The  largest  of  these  is  the  most 


?'flg3attftg'j&!^gaf  I 


382 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


'/  1 


)  I 


■r^: 


I 


northerly,  and  a  smaller  one  farther  up  is  seen. 
Some  of  these  are  hallowed  out  in  the  form  of 
sliells ;  over  the  smaller  one  to  the  south  is  the 
inscription  in  Greek :  "  Priest  of  Pan,"  while 
other  inscriptions  are  now  illej^ible.  On  the  top 
of  the  cliff  Herod  built  a  white  marble  temple, 
and  from  this  point  a  superb  view  of  Banias  and 
its  environs  is  gotten,  and  one  secures  an  accu- 
rate idea  of  the  great  extent  of  the  ruins,  and 
also  of  the  beauty  of  the  surroundings.  Let  us 
look  once  more  at  the  cavern  of  the  Spring,  as  it 
is  called.  Once  it  was  much  larger  than  now.  A 
mass  of  broken  rocks  partly  chokes  the  entrance 
to  the  cave,  and  from  the  midst  of  these  rocks 
bursts  forth  the  stream  as  a  source  of  the  Jordan, 
of  which  I  have  spoken.  I  knelt  and  drank  of 
its  cool,  clear  water,  and  it  was  an  experience 
for  which  I  had  often  longed.  Shortly  before 
going  I  wrote  a  paper  which  is  contained  in 
"  The  People's  Pictorial  Bible,"  and  I  had  occa- 
sion to  describe  the  sources  of  the  Jordan,  and 
nearly  every  foot  of  the  country  over  which  I 
have  now  gone.  How  I  desired  to  have  the  trip 
now  taken  before  that  work  was  begun ;  now 
that  pleasure  and  profit  were  mine. 

No  Christian  can  visit  this  rock  and  grotto, 
where  perhaps  Baal  was  worshiped  in  the  time 
of  the  Phoenicians,  and  Pan  certainly  in  the  time 
of  the  Greeks,  who  always  associated  his  wor- 
ship with  caves  and  grottoes,  without  recalling 
the  words  of  Christ  in  Matt.  i6  :  13-18:  ''When 
Jesus  came  into  the  coasts  of  CccsareaPhilippi, 
he  asked  his  disciples,  saying.  Whom  do  men 


'^" 


kjt  11 


BANIAS— ANCIENT   C.^SAREA-PIIILIPPI    ^^^ 


say  that  I,  the  Son  of  man,  am  ?  And  they  said, 
Some  suy  that  thou  art  Jolm  the  Baptist ;  some, 
Elias ;  and  others,  Jeremias,  or  one  of  the 
prophets.  He  saith  unto  them,  But  whom  say 
ye  that  I  am  ?  And  Simon  Peter  answered  and 
said,  Tliou  art  the  C.irist,  the  Son  of  the  living 
God.  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him, 
Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar-jona :  for  flesh  and 
blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven.  And  I  say  also  unto 
thee.  That  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I 
will  build  my  church  ;  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall 
not  prevail  against  it."  There  came  to  me  stand- 
ing by  that  rock  new  significance  in  our  Lord's 
question,  a  significance  which  I  have  not  noticed 
as  'T^iven  with  sufficient  fullness  by  any  writer. 
Did  not  the  rock  dedicated  to  different  deities 
have  some  influence  in  giving  form  to  our  Lord's 
question  ?  That  rock  once  stood  for  the  worship 
of  Baal ;  it  later  stood  for  the  worship  of  Pan. 
It  seemed  to  me  as  if  Christ  asked,  "  Who, 
therefore,  do  you  say  that  I  am?"  Perhaps 
this  rock  had  some  connection  iu  Christ's  mind 
with  Peter's  name ;  on  Peter's  confession  and 
on  Christ  himself  as  the  chief  corner-stone,  the 
church  would  be  built.  Behold  this  great  rock, 
Christ  seems  to  say,  which  has  stood  for  ages 
as  the  symbol  of  false  faiths.  But  here  is  a 
rock  which  shall  stand  forever  as  the  symbol 
of  the  true  faith ;  and  the  powers  of  hades  shall 
be  powerless  against  the  church  which  I  found. 
The  thought  here  suggested  may  have  in  it  an 
element  of  truth. 


3^4 


Sl'NDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


•'    I 


'i  ^l 


This  place  stands  closely  connected  with  our 
Lord's  traiisfi<;uration.  The  best  students  are 
now  virtually  a  unit  in  placing  it  on  a  spur  of 
Blount  Hernion.  Immediately  afterward  Christ 
came  into  the  parts  of  Ca^sarea-Philippi,  some- 
where in  this  vicinity,  "On  the  next  day  when 
they  were  come  down  from  the  hill,  much  people 
met  him."  Here  he  cast  out  the  demon,  although 
the  disciples  could  not ;  here  also  "  he  took  a 
little  child  and  set  him  in  the  midst "  ;  here  he 
told  the  disciples  of  the  end  that  before  long 
would  be  his  ;  and  soon  his  work  in  this  most 
northern  limit  of  his  earthly  labors  being  com- 
pleted, and  feeling  the  pressure  of  his  approach- 
ing baptism  of  suffering,  he  hastened  to  the  in- 
evitable end  :  "  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the 
time  was  come  that  he  should  be  received  up, 
he  steadfastly  set  his  face  to  go  to  Jerusalem." 

The  Huge  Castle. — All  travelers  ought  to 
visit  the  extensive  ruins  of  the  great  castle  of 
Subeibeh,  KitPat  cs-Subcibeh.  The  hill  on 
which  it  stands  is  above  Banias,  and  is  about  two 
thousand  five  hundred  feet  above  the  sea  level ; 
it  is,  therefore,  a  most  conspicuous  object.  It 
commands  a  marvelous  view,  certainly  one  of 
the  most  magnificent  in  Syria,  taking  in  the  hills 
of  Bashan,  the  hills  of  Galilee,  the  slopes  of 
Hermon,  and  the  plain  of  Huleh,  with  its  many 
waters,  and  the  village  of  Banias  at  its  base.  If 
an  excursion  can  be  made  to  it  in  the  early  morn- 
ing the  best  results  will  be  realized.  The  castle 
is  one  of  the  best-preserved  ruins  in  Syria ;  an 


'i 


BANIAS — ANCIKNT   C/KSARKA-1'IIILIPri    385 


») 


examination  shows  that  it  represents  the  arclii- 
tecture  of  nearly  every  age  from  the  time  of  the 
PhcEnicians  down  to  the  seventeenth  centnry. 
Its  orijrin  is  lost  in  obscurity  ;  but  it  is  known 
that  much  of  it  was  built  by  the  Franks,  who 
held  possession  of  it  from  11 39  to  1164.  The 
building  follows  the  irregularities  of  its  site. 
It  is  said  by  Bicdeker  to  be  four  hundred  and 
eighty  yards  long,  and  at  each  end  about  one 
hundred  yards  wide,  but  much  narrower  in  the 
middle.  In  speaking  of  it.  Dean  Stanley  says  : 
"  The  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  East,  and  equal 
in  extent  even  to  the  pride  of  European  castles 
at  Heidelberg."  The  eastern  part  of  the  building 
was  meant  to  be  used  for  a  distinct  citadel,  hav- 
ing several  cisterns  and  being  separated  from  the 
western  part  by  a  wall  and  a  moat.  The  preci- 
pice at  the  southwest  angle  is  of  a  dizzy  height. 
The  masonry  is  massive,  the  stones  are  beveled, 
and  some  of  the  arches  and  niches  are  extremely 
rich  in  their  ornamentation.  On  some  of  the 
walls  Arabic  inscriptions  are  found,  but  they 
probably  go  no  farther  back  than  to  some  of  the 
restorations  of  the  remarkable  structure.  IVIany 
of  the  walls  which  once  enclosed  the  castle  are 
broken,  and  some  of  them  have  fallen  over  the 
precipice,  hundreds  of  feet  below.  On  the  south- 
west overhangs  a  precipice,  going  sheer  down  a 
thousand  feet  into  the  wild  valley.  This  glori- 
ous view  is  a  memorable  experience. 

The  Sources  of  the  Jordan. — Allusion  has 
been  made  several  times  to  this  subject ;  it  is 

z 


386 


SUNDAY    Nir.IlT   UXTl'RKS 


'     I 


/'!'  •/ 


S  ?    • 


worthy  of  more  careful  statement.  The  Jordan 
means  "  The  Descender,"  and  it  is  rij^htly  named. 
It  is  well  known  as  the  chief  river  of  Palestine. 
Running  from  north  to  south  it  divides  the  whole 
country  into  two  parts,  the  most  important  part 
being  on  the  west.  Two  streams  are  its  chief 
sources,  this  one  at  Banias,  and  the  other  which 
we  saw  at  Tel  el-Kadi,  about  three  miles  west  of 
Hanias.  These  two  unite  and  so  form  a  con- 
siderable river.  There  are  also  several  mountain 
brooks  on  the  west,  many  of  which  we  crossed 
in  coming  to  Dan  and  Hanias.  But  there  is  es- 
pecially a  third  and  longer  stream,  the  Hasbany, 
which  rises  beyond  the  northern  limit  of  Pales- 
tine, near  Hasbeiya,  on  the  west  side  of  Mount 
Hernion,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  feet  above 
the  Mediterranean.  It  flows  twenty-four  miles 
to  the  south,  and  unites  with  the  other  streams 
shortly  before  they  enter  the  Lake  Huleh.  Is- 
suing from  this  marshy  lake,  the  Jordan  flows 
about  ten  miles,  during  which  space  it  falls  six 
hundred  and  ninety  feet,  and  enters  the  Sea  of 
Galilee.  Through  it  the  river  flows  for  twelve 
to  thirteen  miles,  leaving  there  its  impurities,  as 
does  the  Rhone  in  Lake  Geneva,  and  issues 
thence  clear  as  crystal.  For  a  distance  of  sixty- 
six  miles,  in  a  straight  line,  it  pursues  its  sinuous 
way,  making  a  distance  of  two  hundred  miles, 
and  then  it  falls  into  the  Dead  Sea,  which  has 
no  outlet,  visible  or  invisible.  From  the  snows 
of  Hermon  to  the  valley  of  Jericho  the  distance 
in  a  straight  line  is  about  one  hundred  and  forty 
miles,  and  during  that  distance  the  river  makes 


HANIAS  — ANCII'XT   CKSAUKA    IMIIMI'PI    3.S7 

a  descent  of  nearly  three  thousand  feet  in  its 
journey  from  the  mountains  of  perpetual  snow 
to  the  lake  lyin;^'  in  one  of  the  hottest  valleys 
on  the  earth.  The  Jordan  Valley  is  the  most  re- 
markable feature  in  I'alestine.  There  is  nothing 
like  it  in  the  world  ;  it  is  a  distinctive  clmrac- 
teristic  of  the  whole  country. 

This  river  is  associated  with  much  that  is 
grandest,  most  majestic,  and  most  divine  in  the 
history  of  Israel.  Its  waters  again  and  again 
felt  the  power  and  obeyed  the  voice  of  C'.od  and 
his  servants  ;  and  finally  they  were  in  Christian 
thought  forever  consecrated  when  Jesus  Christ 
was  baptized  therein. 

At  few  places  in  Palestine  is  the  thought  of 
Jesus  more  present,  tender,  and  commanding 
than  at  Cicsarca-Philippi.  The  memory  of  its 
lofty  hills,  its  murmuring  streams,  its  luxuriant 
groves,  its  majestic  hills,  its  thrilling  historic 
scenes,  but  most  of  all,  of  its  suggestions  of 
Jesus  the  Christ,  will  never  fade  from  the  mind 
of  the  thoughtful  traveler.  Christ  glorifies 
every  place  associated  with  his  august  and  im- 
mortal name. 


XXXVII 


u    I 


FROM   BANIAS  TO  DAMASCUS 


iii 


(t 


a 


lit'  :' 


As  usual  we  started  before  dawn.  We  now 
had  a  s/iei'k  of  the  Druses  as  an  addi- 
tional guide.  I  felt  humiliated  in  having  to 
employ  him,  but  it  was  certainly  safer  to  pocket 
one's  dignity  and  to  unpocket  some  of  one's 
money  than  to  run  the  risk  of  being  robbed  by 
his  tribesmen,  or  by  some  of  the  abominable 
Metawilehs.  All  along  the  way  as  we  climbed 
the  mountains,  frightened  peasants  met  us  ask- 
ing foolish  questions  amid  their  hopes  and  fears. 
The  sun  rose  as  we  climbed  the  mountain  near 
the  castle  of  Subeibeh.  The  sight  was  unspeak- 
ably grand  ;  no  words  of  tongue  or  pen  can  do  it 
justice.  I  rode  along  in  silence  drinking  in  the 
marvelous  scene.  Ever  before  us  was  glorious 
Hermou.  It  was  one  of  the  chief  features  in 
every  picture  of  the  Holy  Land  which  I  had 
for  days.  It  is  visible  even  from  the  depths 
of  the  Jordan  Valley  by  the  Dead  Sea.  One  of 
its  ancient  names  was  "  The  Upraised,"  because 
it  so  grandly  lifted  its  top  aiiiid  the  surrounding 
mountains ;  another  was  Sirion,  "  The  Glitter- 
ing," as  it  was  called  by  the  Sidonians.  It  is  now 
called  Jebel-esh-sheik,  the  "  Chief  Mountain," 
or  the  "mountain  of  the  White-haired."  Some- 
388 


FROM    BAXIAS   TO    DAMASCUS 


3«9 


^e  now 
1  addl- 
ing to 
pocket 
■  one's 
bed  by 
linable 
limbed 
IS  ask- 
i  fears, 
n  near 
ispeak- 
n  do  it 
in  the 
lorions 
ires  in 
I  had 
depths 
One  of 
ecause 
Hiding 
xlitter- 
is  now 
itain," 
Some- 


times it  is  called  Jebel-et-Tclt,  "the  Snow  Monn- 
tain."  Twice  in  Scriptnre  the  name  of  Baal 
Hermon  is  given  to  it,  donbtless  because  of  the 
worship  of  Baal  in  its  high  places.  The  Hebrews 
extolled  Hermon  for  its  majestic  heights ;  they 
valued  it  also  as  a  collector  of  clouds.  Its  snow 
was  used  in  ancient  times,  as  now,  for  cooling 
the  drinks  of  the  rich. 

It  is  rightly  called  the  Mont  Blanc  of  Pal- 
estine. Three  separate  heights  form  the  sum- 
mit, and  they  rise  about  three  thousand  feet 
above  the  main  ridge.  Around  one  of  its  peaks 
£ire  large  stones  which  once  formed  a  circu- 
lar wall.  There  is  also  the  fragment  of  a  col- 
umn, and  the  form  of  a  small  temple  can  be 
traced.  It  was  once  a  sanctuary  of  the  Syrians, 
notwithstanding  that  for  some  months  of  the 
year  the  whole  surface  must  have  been  covered 
with  snow.  We  know  that  the  Syrians  selected 
the  summits  of  lofty  mountains  as  places  for  the 
worship  of  their  gods.  In  summer  the  snow 
disappears  from  parts  of  the  loftiest  peak,  and 
only  a  few  white  lines  remain  as  the  autmnn 
arrives ;  but  then  it  is  covered  again  and  lifts  to 
heaven  its  mighty  dome  in  its  mantle  of  snow. 
Its  chief  glory  will  ever  be  its  place  in  the  Bible, 
and  especially  its  association  wHh  the  transfigu- 
ration of  Christ,  whose  face  was  as  the  sun  and 
whose  garments  were  whiter  even  than  Hermon's 
snow.  These  words  of  Dean  Stanley,  who  more 
than  any  other  writer  catches  the  poetic,  the  his- 
toric, and  the  religious  aspect  of  these  scenes, 
are  truthful : 


'  (, 


I  :,•■ 


■\i 


/"    .> 


'  1'    ! 


-:/ 


mi 


I  ii 


.:! 


So  long  as  its  snowy  tops  were  seen,  there  was  never  want- 
ing to  the  Hebrew  poetry  the  image  of  unearthly  grandeur 
which  nothing  else  but  perpetual  snow  can  give,  especially 
as  seen  in  the  summer,  when  the  firmament  around  it  seems 
to  be  on  fire.  And  not  grandeur  only,  but  fertility  and 
beauty  were  held  up  as  it  were  on  its  heights,  as  a  model 
for  the  less  fortunate  regions  which  looked  up  to  it.  "  His 
fruit  shall  shake  like  Lebanon."'  The  "dews"  of  the 
mists  that  rose  from  its  watery  ravines,  or  of  the  clouds  that 
rested  on  its  summit,  were  perpetual  witnesses  of  freshness 
and  coolness,  the  sources,  as  it  seemed,  of  all  the  moisture, 
which  was  to  the  land  of  Palestine  what  the  fragrant  oil  was 
to  the  garments  of  the  high  priest,  what  the  refreshing  in- 
fluence of  brotherly  love  was  to  the  whole  community. 

It  was  Sunday  moniiiig,  but  we  were  afraid  to 
defer  our  journey  lest  we  should  be  caught  in 
the  tribal  conflicts  of  the  two  tribes  already 
named.  The  paths  up  the  mountain  were  very 
rough.  We  kept  the  castle  in  view  until  we 
passed  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  soon  were  at  the 
IJ)ruse  village  of  Mejdel.  Here  we  saw  at  the 
threshing-floor  of  the  village  large  numbers  of 
the  Druses  fully  armed  and  preparing  for  the 
expected  battle  on  the  morrow.  Constantly  on 
our  journey  we  met  others  hastening  to  the  ap- 
pointed place  of  meeting.  We  felt  quite  safe  so 
long  as  we  had  their  s//r/k  io\  our  chief  guide  ; 
for  they  would  not  attack  any  <n\  '  under  his  pro- 
tection. Far  up  among  the  mount  ^  ns  we  stopped 
beside  an  old  winepress  to  which  camels  were 
carrying  great  loads  of  grapes,  which  the  men 
and  boys  took  from  the  1)acks  of  the  camels 
while  they  knelt  for  that  purpose.    The  old  press 

*  Ps.  72  :  16, 


FROM    BANIAS  TO   DAMASCUS 


391 


was  being  put  in  oider  for  expressing  the  juice 
of  the  grape.  Under  the  shadow  of  a  rock  we 
made  a  fire,  cooked  our  breakfast,  and  ate  it  with 
a  relish  seldom  surpassed  by  guests  at  any  table. 
The  supply  of  grapes  was  abundant,  and  a  good 
appetite  made  all  parts  of  the  breakfast  tooth- 
some. 

Soon  we  were  off  again.  It  was  a  long  ride 
over  a  rough  road  and  during  several  hours 
under  a  burning  sun.  The  dragoman  gave  me 
credit  for  jeing  an  early  and  a  tireless  rider. 
The  lofty  plain  named  Merj-el-Hadr  was  crossed, 
then  a  wild  glen  with  an  abundant  stream,  then 
dreary  and  desolate  stretches,  with  here  and  there 
an  oasis.  Then  we  came  to  a  brook  called  Je- 
nani,  which  when  united  to  another  stream  be- 
comes the  historic  Pharpar,  which  Naaman  tlie 
Syrian  general  regarded  as  one  of  the  waters 
superior  to  all  the  waters  of  Israel.  New  and 
superb  views  of  Hermon  were  secured  from  quite 
different  points  from  any  we  had  hitherto  en- 
joyed. Kefr-Hauwar  is  the  usual  camping-place; 
this  village  though  surrounded  by  pleasure  gar- 
dens and  groves  has  little  to  commend  it  to 
travelers.  The  inhabitants  are  Moslems  and  not 
always  friendly  to  Christians.  There  is  a  tradi- 
tion that  Nimrod  is  buried  here.  We  now  dis- 
missed our  Druse  sheik^  and  my  considerate 
Abdallah  led  as  before.  Possibly  we  mi^ht  l)e 
able  to  reach  Damascus,  but  to  ride  thither  from 
Banias  in  one  day  was  too  much  tor  the  horses, 
even  though  the  riders  might  endure  so  much 
hardship.     On  we  pressed  ;  the  bleak  desert  was 


392 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


t)! 


!''    *) 


H  ;ti 


S  ;^ 


RV  'Ai 


?,i 


J-     ■; 


'» 


behind  us.  Before  us  was  Damascus.  My  heart 
beat  fast  at  the  thought  of  being  near  and  so 
soon  being  in  the  city  of  which  I  had  so  often 
read  and  spoken.  A  wearisome  ride  it  was,  over 
fearful  roads,  which  once  must  have  been  much 
better,  else  the  chariot  of  Naaman  could  not 
have  made  the  journey.  Now  we  reach  the  old 
Roman  road — marvelous  road-makers  were  these 
Romans — from  Egypt  and  Palestine  to  Damas- 
cus. Glad  are  we  to  be  on  this  road.  We  are 
near  the  spot  where,  according  to  well-founded 
tradition,  the  Apostle  Paul  saw  the  wondrous 
light,  heard  the  divine  voice,  fell  to  the  earth  in 
deep  amazement,  and  rose  with  blind  eyes,  but 
with  an  obedient  heart,  to  be  led  like  a  child  into 
Damascus.  How  the  words  of  Scripture  came  to 
my  mind  !  How  real  the  story  of  Saul's  conver- 
sion !  How  matchless  the  grace  of  Christ  ex- 
alted to  give  repentance  and  remission  of  sins. 
Read  again  part  of  Acts  9 :  "As  he  journeyed, 
he  came  near  Damascus :  and  suddenly  there 
shined  round  about  him  a  light  from  heaven : 
and  he  fell  to  the  earth,  and  heard  a  voice  say- 
ing unto  him,  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou 
me?  .  .  .  And  he  trembling  and  astonished  said, 
Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?  And  the 
Lord  said  unto  him.  Arise,  and  go  into  the  city, 
and  it  shall  be  told  thee  what  thou  must  do.  .  . 
And  Saul  arose  from  the  earth  ;  and  when  his 
eyes  were  opened,  he  saw  no  man :  but  they  led 
him  by  the  hand,  and  brought  him  into  Damas- 


cus 


)> 


Yonder   is  the  great  plain  of   Damascus ;    it 


■    \ 


U  t 


FROM    BANIAS  TO   DAMASCUS 


393 


over 


it 


is  a  sea  of  greenness  and  beauty.  Soon  we 
shall  see  the  white  minarets  of  the  ancient  cit\'. 
On  our  left  are  the  slopes  of  Lebanon.  All 
about  us  are  streams  of  water,  long  lines  of 
trees,  abundant  groves  and  gardens  compared 
with  the  desolate  mountains  and  dreary  deserts, 
and  the  waterless  and  treeless  wastes  we  have 
passed.  The  city  of  Damascus  and  its  environs 
will  be  beautiful  enough  almost  to  justify  the 
exaggerated  language  of  the  Arabian  prince  who 
is  often  quoted  as  fearing  if  he  entered  this 
earthly  paradise  he  might  lose  the  right  to  enter 
the  heavenly  paradise ;  but  to  those  who  have 
seen  the  other  places  of  beauty,  Damascus  may 
be  something  of  a  disappointment.  We  can, 
however,  rejoice,  and  we  do  rejoice  in  the  waters 
of  Abana  and  Pharpar,  which  certainly  are 
abundant  and  magnificent,  while  we  linger  for 
the  night  outside  of  Damascus,  which,  probablv, 
is  the  oldest  city  of  the  world. 

In  this  suburban  town,  as  it  may  be  called, 
there  is  a  new  khan ;  Abdallah  will  test  it.  In 
the  court  are  the  horses,  the  sheep,  goats,  and 
dogs ;  but  around,  and  one  story  above  the  court, 
are  rooms  for  human  beings.  The  khan  is 
new ;  it  is  not  yet  furnished.  It  never  will  be, 
as  we  understand  that  term.  Here  is  a  room  ;  it 
has  neither  bed  nor  chair.  Two  chairs  are  found  ; 
perhaps  tli.ey  will  bear  one's  weight.  For  a  bed 
two  tables  are  found  and  placed  in  order;  our 
own  bedding  is  carefully  examined,  beaten  and 
shaken,  and  che  bed  is  made.  How  high  can 
fleas  jump?     Not  so  high,  it  is  hoped,  as  these 


394 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


^,1 


tables.  Blessed  thought !  We  can  outwit  them  ; 
we  can  have  a  night  of  refreshing  skep — a  lux- 
ury not  enjoyed  for  several  long  nights.  Was  I 
thinking  less  of  PauPs  conversion  and  of  God's 
grace  than  of  my  prospective  repose?  Well, 
one's  thoughts  will  wander  from  historic  events 
to  present  discomforts;  but  the  higher  and  holier 
scenes,  it  may  honestly  be  said,  were  not  forgot- 
ten. 

We  had  at  this  place  an  illustration  of  my 
dragoman's  wisdom  in  securing  the  protection  of 
the  sheik  of  the  Druses  during  the  day.  I  was 
disposed  to  resent  the  apparent  necessity  of  se- 
curing the  services  of  this  man.  Was  I  not  an 
American  citizen  traveling  with  an  American 
passport?  Did  I  not  have  a  Turkish  tczkcrch^ 
or  permission  to  travel  from  one  vilayet  to  an- 
other within  the  Turkish  empire  ?  Was  not  this 
tezkereh  properly  examined,  and  did  it  not  have 
the  necessary  police  visa  ?  Had  I  not  a  right  to 
demand  the  protection  of  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment and  also  of  the  Turkish  Government  ? 
But  my  dragoman  reasoned  that  these  bandits 
knew  little  of  and  cared  less  for  the  Turkish 
Government,  and  that  they  knew  nothing  of 
and  so  cared  nothing  for  the  government  of  the 
United  States.  No  sooner  had  we  reached  the 
kahn  than  a  local  policeman  appeared  and  ex- 
amined our  tezkerehs ;  he  saw  that  mine  was 
on  an  American  passport.  He  immediately 
asked,  "What  is  America?  Where  is  it?"  The 
dragoman  replied  that  it  was  a  great  republic 
on  the  other  side   of  the  sea.     The  policeman 


r' 


FROM    BANIAS   TO   DAMASCUS 


395 


then  asked  :  "  To  what  country  docs  it  belong, 
to  France,  Italy,  Spain,  Germany,  or  Great 
Britain?"  The  dragoman  informed  him  that 
it  belonged  to  no  country,  but  was  itself  a  larger 
and  mightier  country  than  several  other  coun- 
tries roiled  into  one.  The  policeman  seemed 
still  doubtful,  but  finally  admitted  that  possibly 
he  had  once  heard  of  that  country.  I\Iy  Ameri- 
can dignity  was  considerably  decreased  by  such 
monumental  ignorance  ;  and  I  immediately  saw 
that  if  a  policeman  in  a  suburb  of  Damascus 
showed  such  ignorance,  I  could  expect  nothing 
of  the  highwaymen  of  the  deserts  and  the  hills. 

The  Oldest  City.— The  night's  repose  was 
truly  had,  and  early  the  next  morning  we  were 
riding,  at  times  galloping,  toward  Damascus. 
To  enter  this  city  is  an  experience  which  no 
one  who  has  ever  enjoyed  it  will  forget.  For 
miles  we  rode  by  groves  and  gardens,  and  soon 
the  white  minarets  rose  out  of  the  green  groves 
and  I  had  my  first  sight  of  the  famous  city.  I 
was  reminded  of  the  description  of  it  which  I 
read  some  years  ago  when  it  was  compared  to 
"a  pearl  surrounded  with  emeralds."  Doctor 
Pusey  says  of  it :  "Its  white  buildings,  embedded 
in  the  deep  green  of  its  engirdling  orchards, 
were  like  diamonds  encircled  by  emeralds." 
The  Arabs  say  :  "  If  there  is  a  Garden  of  Eden 
on  earth,  it  is  Damascus ;  and  if  in  heaven,  Da- 
mascus is  like  it  on  earth."  As  already  sug- 
gested, however,  its  beauty  is  great  only  by  con- 
trast with  the  bleak  deserts  near  it,  but  in  any 


396 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


i.'i 


other  light  the  descriptions  of  its  beauty  are 
scarcely  pardonable  exaggerations.  We  can- 
tered through  its  gates.  If  there  was  a  grateful 
man  in  Syria,  I  was  that  man.  We  made  the 
trip  from  Jerusalem  in  seven  and  one-half  days ; 
usually  it  takes  ten  for  the  journey,  and  many 
persons  occupy  twenty  days  in  making  it.  It 
might  be  made  without  much  difficulty  in  six 
days — we  would  have  done  it  in  that  time — but 
the  fact  that  it  is  impossible  to  find  stopping- 
places  for  the  night  at  convenient  intervals 
when  one  is  traveling  without  a  tent.^  Wel- 
come was  the  sight  of  Damascus;  welcome  its 
streams,  groves,  and  gardens,  and  welcome  its 
clean  and  excellent  hotels.  A  good  hotel  is 
one  of  the  high-water  marks  of  civilization. 
What  is  even  the  oldest  city  in  the  world  with- 
out a  good  hotel?  Good  hotels  have  made 
many  places  more  famous  than  great  battles, 
heroic  endeavors,  and  knightly  achievements. 
Were  we  grateful  for  a  clean  room,  a  good  bath, 
and  what,  by  contrast  with  the  past  few  days, 
was  an  Epicurean  table  ?  We  were ;  and  no 
apology  is  made  for  the  gratitude  experienced. 
Any  student  of  etiology,  or  of  theology,  will 
appreciate  the  reasonableness  of  being  grateful 
for  a  good  hotel. 

All  Damascus  was  stirred  by  the  tribal  trou- 

*  It  is  customary  for  dragomans  and  the  traveling  agencies, 
like  Cook  and  Gaze,  to  take  much  more  time  than  is  really  neces- 
sary ;  and  it  is  inevitable  that  they  will  all  charge  more  than 
double  what  would  be  a  fair  profit  on  the  expense  they  incur  and 
the  service  they  render.  These  remarks  are  made  with  absolutely 
certain  knowledge  of  their  truth. 


.     I 


',  \ 


FROM    BANIAS  TO   DAMASCUS 


397 


bles  of  which  mention  has  been  made.  In  conn- 
tries  where  law  and  order  are  the  exception, 
where  reliable  information  is  impossible,  and 
where  snperstition  is  dominant,  the  people  are 
excitable  and  utterly  unreliable.  Here  we  found 
four  Americans  who  were  pastors  of  churches  or 
editors  of  religious  papers,  and  who  were  de- 
tained from  goin^i;'  over  the  route  by  which  we 
had  just  come.  They  entered  Syria  at  Beirut, 
and  so  were  reversing^  the  journey  I  had  taken, 
or  was  yet  to  take.  Tlieir  dragoman  would  not 
start  because  of  the  rumors ;  and  he  was  charg- 
ing them  eight  dollars  per  day  each,  they  being 
able  to  do  nothing  and  he  reaping  an  enor- 
mous profit.  There  ought  to  be  a  limit  to  the 
fleecing  to  which  one  will  submit  even  in  Syria 
and  Palestine.  There  is  a  grand  chance  for 
some  enterprising  American  to  make  a  hand- 
some profit  and  yet  t  <  carry  travelers  for  half 
the  usual  rates.  Tliis  clerical  party  tried  hard 
to  be  happy  and  grateful,  but  they  did  not  suc- 
ceed to  a  degree  which  would  warrant  the  vera- 
cious chronicler  in  giving  them  credit  for  eitlier 
virtue ;  indeed  a  little  wholesome  indignation  on 
their  part  was  a  virtue  which  they  properly  pos- 
sessed and  partly  exhibited. 

I  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  a  Syrian  wed- 
ding party  at  the  hotel.  The  hotel  keeper,  who 
was  once,  so  rumor  said,  engaged  to  an  American 
woman,  had  just  been  married  at  Beirut  to  a 
Syrian.  The  wedding  party  arrived  in  the 
evening.  They  left  the  railway  at  the  station 
next  to  Damascus,  and  entered  the  ancient  city 


398 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    I.KCTURKS 


■      I 


in  carnao^es 


MAI 


riie  hotel  was  in  a  state  of  great 
excitement  on  tlieir  arrival,  all  parts  of  it  being 
decorated  with  flowers  and  all  the  servants  being 
in  their  gayest  attire.  The  Christian  women  of 
Damascus  were  on  hand  to  give  their  congratu- 
lations. The  bridal  party  soon  came,  reminding 
one  of  the  descriptions  in  the  Bible  and  also  in 
the  many  accounts  of  customs  and  manners  in 
the  Hast.  I  had  the  honor  of  being  invited  to 
give  my  congratulations  in  the  hotel  parlor.  A 
goodly  company  was  assembled.  The  language 
of  the  people  among  themselves  was  Arabic,  but 
to  outsiders  it  was  French,  and  some  in  the  com- 
pany could  speak  English.  Then  there  was  a 
wedding  dinner,  congratulatory  speeches,  and 
vigorous  cheering  of  the  same.  In  this  last 
exercise  the  clergymen  mentioned  and  myself 
participated,  assuming  that  the  sentiments  ex- 
pressed were  appropriate  and  the  wishes  cordial. 
Some  Damascus  people  in  the  company,  learning 
that  I  was  from  New  York,  immediately  asked 
me  about  merchants  of  that  city  who  deal  in 
Oriental  goods,  and  by  me  sent  messages  to  some 
of  them.  The  world  is  very  small.  Two  men 
who  were  met  in  Damascus  immediately  called 
me  by  name  ;  they  had  once  lived  in  New  York. 
In  three  cities  visited  on  this  journey  some 
members  of  the  Calvary  Church  are  now  living. 
Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  the  first  half-day  in 
the  oldest  city  in  the  world,  in  its  wedding  fes- 
tivities, its  business  interests,  and  its  fraternal 
greetings,  was  not  unlike  half  a  day  in  the  larg- 
est city  of  the  New  World. 


t , 


XXXVIII 


DAMASCUS  THE   ANCIENT 


BITS  OF  HISTORY.— Before  going  through 
tlie  streets  of  this  very  ancient  city,  it  is 
necessary  that  we  familiarize  ourselves  with 
parts  of  its  history  and  of  the  country  to  which 
it  belongs.  Damascus  is  well  known  as  one  of 
the  most  ancient  cities  oi  the  world.  It  is  first 
mentioned  in  Gen.  14:15;  15:2,  and  it  has  been 
frequently  asserted  that  it  is  the  oldest  city  on  the 
globe.  Josephus  considers  that  it  is  older  than 
the  time  of  Abraham.  Shakespeare  locates  here 
the  murder  of  Abel  by  Cain.    (King  Henry  VI.) 

Nay,  stand  thou  back,  I  will  not  budge  a  foot  ; 
This  be  Damascus,  be  thou  cursed  Cain, 
To  slay  thy  brother  Abel,  if  thou  wilt. 

Its  name  in  Hebrew  is  Dammesek ;  in  Arabic  it 
is  Dimeshk;  but  natives  of  to-day  call  it  Esh- 
sham.  It  was  formerly  the  capital  of  old  vSyria, 
and  now  of  a  Turkish  vilayet  of  Syria.  There 
are  many  legends,  both  Jewish,  Christian,  and 
Moslem  regarding  its  origin.  Josephus  supposes 
that  it  was  founded  by  Uz,  the  son  of  Aran,  and 
grandson  of  Sliem.  It  seems  at  least  to  have 
been  a  Semitic  settlement. 

But  little,  however,  is  known  about  Damascus 

399 


400 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURKS 


until  the  time  of  David.  He  conquered  the 
town  after  a  bloody  war,  it  hc'uv^  the  ally  of  his 
enemy,  the  kin^  of  Zobah.  David  placed  a  gar- 
rison in  the  town.  An  adventurer  called  Rezin 
made  himself  the  master  of  Damascus  during  the 
reign  of  Solomon.  Its  history  during  this  period 
is  closely  associated  with  the  lives  of  Naaman, 
lien-hadad,  Hazael,  and  Rezin.  We  see  by  2 
Kings  16  :  7-9  that  it  was  subdued  by  Tiglath- 
Pileser.  It  occupies  no  small  place  in  the 
prophecies  of  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  H/.ekiel,  and 
Amos,  and  we  know  that  it  became  subject  to 
the  Assyrians,  Babylonians,  Persians,  Seleucidce, 
and  Romans.  In  New  Testament  times  it  was 
held  for  a  short  time  by  Aretas,  king  of  Arabia- 
Petrtea,  under  th  'Romans.  At  this  period 
Josephus  affirms  ,  there  were  ten  thousand 
Jews  in  Damascus  put  to  death  by  the  hand  of 
Nero.  We  know  that  Jews  so  abounded  in  the 
city  that  the  statement  of  Josephus  does  not  seem 
to  be  improbable. 

It  is  memorable  to  all  Christians  because  of  its 
connection  with  the  conversion  of  the  Apostle 
Paul.  Civilization,  it  is  very  evident,  reached 
an  advanced  position  in  the  early  day  in  Damas- 
cus. Its  mercantile  greatness  is  clearly  indicated 
by  Ezekiel  in  the  words  addressed  to  Tyre,  which 
was  then  the  port  of  Damascus,  as  Beirut  is  now. 
It  was  an  important  commercial  and  manufac- 
turing city,  and  is  the  starting-point  of  the  cara- 
vans in  their  traffic  with  the  East,  and  especially 
with  Persia.  The  language  of  the  city  in  the 
early  day  was  Syrian,  and  the  religion  seems  to 


DAMASCfS  TIIK    AN'CIENT  401 

have  been  the  worsliip  of  Astartc.  Damascus 
became  important  as  the  residence  of  Cliristian 
bishops,  who  ranked  next  to  the  patriarchate  of 
Antiocli.  The  Emperor  Theodosius  destroyed 
the  lieathen  temples  in  vSyria,  and  transformed 
the  great  temple  of  Damascus  into  a  Christian 
church. 

Of  course  one  of  the  brilliant  periods  in  the 
history  of  Damascus  begins  with  the  introduc- 
tion of  Mohammedanism.     Damascus  fell   into 
the   hands   of    the   Arabs    after   the    battle    of 
Yarnuk,  and   under   the   great    princes   of   the 
Ommiyadcs  attained  great  splendor.    These  were 
the  greatest  princes  that  Arabia  has  produced. 
It  is  not  possible,  however,  in   this  lecture  to 
trace  this  history  in  detail ;  but  it  mav  be  said 
that  in  1 126  the  crusaders  under  Baldwin  gained 
a  victory  over  part  of  the  city,  but  were  finally 
obliged  to  withdraw.     In    1148  Damascus  was 
besieged   by  Conrad   III.,   and  in    1260  it   was 
taken  by  the  Mongols,  who  favored  the  Chris- 
tians;  but  it  was  finally  recaptured  by  Kotuz, 
the   Mameluke  sovereign  of  Egypt.     The  cit  ' 
was  plundered  by  the  Tartars  in  1300,  and  in 
15 16  the  Turkish  Sultan  Selim  took  possession 
of  the  city,  since  which  time  it  has  been  one  of 
the  provincial  capitals  of  the  Turkish  Empire. 

^  Sl,AUGHTER  OF  CHRISTIANS.— In  1S60  about 
six  thousand  nominal  Chri.stians  were  slaughtered 
in  the  city.  A  massacre  of  the  Christians  in 
Lebanon  by  the  Druses  took  place,  and  many 
Christians  in  the  villages  near  Damascus  fled  to 

2A 


402 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


in  ^ 

mi'      r 


.1 


,  , 


't.      !. 


the  city  for  refuge.  The  Mohammedans  there, 
on  a  general  signal,  rose  and  began  a  general 
massacre.  This  is  one  of  the  most  cruel  trage- 
dies of  modern  times,  exceeded  only  by  the  re- 
cent barbarity  of  the  Turks  and  Kurds  in 
Armenia.  The  Christian  quarter  still  bears 
traces  of  these  awful  cruelties.  Colonel  Churchill 
has  graphically  told  the  story  as  to  how  on  the 
9th  of  July  the  whole  Christian  quarter  was  in 
flames.  The  entire  water  supply  was  cut  off, 
and  the  hopeless  people  were  shut  in  by  an  en- 
closure of  fire  and  steam.  Abd-el-kader,  the 
exiled  chieftain  of  Algiers,  then  living  in  retire- 
ment in  Damascus,  heroically  rescued  all  the 
wretched  sufferers,  so  far  as  it  was  possible  for  him 
so  to  do.  Hundreds  were  escorted  to  his  house ; 
and  many  repaired  to  the  British  Consulate ;  but 
all  through  the  awful  night,  and  during  the 
whole  of  the  following  day,  the  terrible  massacre 
continued.  One  reason  for  the  massacre,  it  is 
believed,  was  an  article  in  the  treaty  of  Paris 
in  1856,  which  it  was  thought  excluded  foreign 
intervention  in  the  affairs  of  Turkey,  and  by 
this  interpretation  placed  Christians  at  the  mercy 
of  the  Moslems.  The  insurrection  against  the 
English  in  India  also  inflamed  the  minds  of  tiie 
Moslems  against  Christians  in  Syria.  It  is  said 
that  Ahmed  Pasha  gave  the  Druse  assassins  the 
signal  to  begin  their  awful  work ;  it  is  known 
that  the  Druses,  the  Turkish  soldiers,  and  the 
populace  of  the  town  all  united  to  murder  the 
Christians  and  to  devastate  their  quarter.  The 
bodies  of  murdered  Christians  were  piled  up  in 


i 


) 


DAMASCUS  THE   ANCIENT 


403 


trage- 


up  in 


enormous  heaps  in  the  city.     Some  of  the  clergy 
were  slam  beside  the  altar  to  which  they  liad 
gone  for  refuge.     In   the  mountains  a  siinilar 
slaughter  took  place,  when  the  Druses  vented 
their  wrath  on  the  Maroiiites.     The  whole  num- 
ber of  the  slain  in  the  country  districts  is  said 
to  have  been  at  least  oue  thousand  four  hundred. 
All    Europe    finally  became    aroused,    and    not 
until  then  did  the  Turkish  government  attempt 
to  stop  the  terrible  slaughter.     A  number  of  the 
leaders,    including   Ahmed    Pasha   and    several 
Jews,  vvere  arrested  at  Damascus  and  beheaded  ; 
and_  ten  thousand   French  soldiers  were  se"t  to 
Syria,  and  they  succeeded  in  restoring  nominal 
peace;  but  the  relation  between  Moslems  and 
Christians  is  still  very  insecure,  and  an  outbreak 
at  any  moment  would  not  surprise  those  who  are 
familiar  with  all  the  facts. 

Location  and  Description.— Damascus  is 
situated  in  a  vast  plain  of  extreme  fertility,  lying 
east  of  the  great  chain  of  Anti-Libanus'on  the 
edge  of  the  desert.     It  is  nearly  circular,  and  is 
about  thirty  miles  in  diameter.     Its  shape  and 
fertility  are  due  to  the  river  Barada,  which  is 
supposed  to  be  the  Abaua  of  Scripture.     This 
liver  rises  on  the  western  flank  of  Anti-Libanus, 
and  finally  turns  suddenly  its  waters  through  the 
plain.     Seen  from  the  mountains,  Damascus  ap- 
pears beautiful  in  the  extreme.     One  can  readily 
understand  how  it  has  come  to  have  so  conspicu- 
ous a  place  in  the  history,  the  traffic,  the  poetry, 
and  the  legends  of  Syria  and  the  Orient.     For 'a 


404 


SUNDAY  NIGHT   LECTURES 


'"  ! 


.sj. 


long  period  it  was  the  solitary  place  of  civiliza- 
tion in  Syria,  and  it  will  doubtless  retain  its 
great  influence  and  power  in  all  coming  genera- 
tions. In  the  midst  of  the  plain,  surrounded  by 
trees  of  many  kinds,  this  city  rises  from  the  mass 
of  foliage.  Its  white  minarets  are  in  striking 
contrast  to  the  rich  green  by  which  they  are  sur- 
rounded ;  snowy  Hermon  overlooks  the  beautiful 
scene,  while  many  bare  and  barren  mountains 
form  a  background  the  better  to  display  the 
charms  of  the  city  and  the  plain.  The  Barada 
is  carried  by  many  streams  into  cisterns,  baths, 
and  fountains ;  it  thus  irrigates  city  and  plain, 
turning  a  desert  into  a  garden. 

Damascus  has  always  demanded  and  always 
received  the  homage  of  the  Orient.  She  is  a 
city  of  eternal  youth,  and  many  have  striven  to 
discover  the  secret  of  her  perpetual  vitality. 
Dr.  George  Adam  Smith,  in  his  volume  to  which 
I  have  several  times  referred,  tells  us  that  if  we 
look  eastward  we  can  understand  Damascus. 
He  further  remarks  that  we  might  as  well  ques- 
tion the  site  of  New  York,  or  of  Sidney,  or  of 
San  Francisco.  Beyond  and  immediately  behind 
Damascus  there  is  nothing  but  deserts.  The 
river  Abana  bursts  full-born  from  the  heart  of 
Anti-Lebanon ;  after  running  a  course  of  ten 
miles  in  a  narrow  gorge  it  flings  itself  in  sudden 
streams  abroad  in  the  plain,  and  finally  dies 
away  in  a  large  marsh.  The  river  does  not 
waste  her  waters,  but  expends  them  on  a  broad 
sweep  of  territory.  This  river  transforms  a 
desert  into  a  garden  of  beauty,  and  it  virtually 


DAMASCUS  THE  ANCIENT 


405 


creates  this  marvelous  city.  Damascus  eudures, 
although  often  conquered.  Nineveh,  Babylon, 
and  Memphis  mastered  her  ;  but,  as  she  probably 
preceded,  she  certainly  has  outlived  these  cities. 
She  is  endowed  with  perpetual  youth.  She  will 
ever  charm  the  visitor,  and  will  be  a  great  city 
for  trade,  and  also  a  headquarters  of  Islam  in 
her  pilgrimages  to  and  from  Mecca. 

However  fascinating  the  sight  of  the  city  is  as 
one  approaches  it,  a  nearer  view  shows  that,  like 
most  Oriental  cities,  it  contains  much  that  is 
offensive  to  every  sense,  as  well  as  repulsive  to 
every  moral  instinct.  It  is  interesting  chiefly 
because  it  is  the  most  purely  Oriental  city  still 
existing  of  all  those  mentioned  in  the  Bible. 
The  cloth  still  known  as  "  damask  "  is  believed 
to  have  originated  here ;  and  the  Damascus  steel 
was  long  unequaled  in  any  part  of  the  world. 
The  knowledge  of  this  steel,  and  of  the  manner 
of  manufacturing  it  into  blades,  w^as  carried  from 
Damascus  to  Toledo  in  Spain ;  and  the  Toledo 
blade  now  probably  surpasses  the  blades  of  Da- 
mascus in  the  earlier  day.  An  extensive  trade 
is  still  carried  on  in  silks,  fruits,  sweetmeats, 
etc.,  and  great  caravans  assemble  here  as  in  the 
olden  time.  It  is  also  a  point  of  meeting  and 
departure  of  enormous  pilgrimages  to  Bagdad 
and  Mecca.  As  the  meeting-place  of  so  many 
nations  of  the  East,  Damascus  is  a  peculiarly 
important  station  for  mission  work. 

Bazaars  of  Damascus. — The  bazaars  of  Da- 
mascus are  celebrated  all  over  the  world ;  they 


4o6 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    LECTURES 


V  ! 


\'y 


S  * 


7  i 


are  perhaps  more  extensive  and  imposing  than 
those  of  Cairo,  although  Cairo  is  a  much  larger 
city.  Damascus  supplies  not  only  its  own  in- 
habitants, but  also  the  population  of  the  Hauran, 
as  well  as  the  Bedouins  of  extensive  districts  east 
of  the  Jordan  and  in  many  parts  of  Syria.  ^Many 
of  the  bazaars  are  in  the  streets,  carefully  covered 
with  wooden  roofs,  the  light  struggling  through 
small  windows.  The  bazaars  are  also  classified, 
there  being  the  Saddler's  Bazaar,  the  Silk  Bazaar, 
the  Fez  Bazaar,  where  all  sorts  of  turbans,  caps, 
and  Oriental  headgear  can  be  bought ;  the  Greek 
Bazaar,  which  is  most  attractive  for  its  antiquities 
of  many  kinds  and  its  Damascus  blades ;  the 
Tobacco  Bazaar,  with  all  kinds  of  mouth-pieces ; 
the  Booksellers'  Bazaar,  where  only  Mohamme- 
dan books  can  be  bought ;  the  Coppersmith's 
Bazaar,  with  its  wonderful  dishes  and  culinary 
utensils ;  the  Boot  and  Shoe  Bazaar,  where  dec- 
orated slippers  of  marvelous  shapes  and  colors 
can  be  secured  ;  and  still  other  bazaars  of  many 
kinds,  with  their  proprietors  seated  behind  their 
wares  apparently  indifferent  to  the  intending 
purchaser,  but  ever  ready  to  ask  about  four  times 
as  much  as  they  will  finally  take  for  their  goods. 
In  wandering  through  the  streets  at  night,  the 
old  law,  not  yet  entirely  obsolete,  requires  you 
to  carry  a  lantern.  If  found  without  one,  arrest 
may  follow.  The  lanterns  are  not  unlike  those 
of  the  Chinese,  common  among  us  to  illuminate 
gardens  and  lawns.  If  a  gate  in  a  street  is  closed 
the  traveler  shouts  :  "  //ia  ya  Haris^''''  which  be- 
ing interpreted  it,  "  Open,  O  watchman."    Here, 


DAMASCUS  THE   ANCIKNT 


407 


as  in  almost  all  other  parts  of  the  world,  a  little 
silver  to  cross  the  palm  of  the  watchman  secures 
at  once  the  desired  opening  of  the  gate. 

The  population  of  Damascus  has  been  placed 
at  various  figures.  It  is  extremely  difficult  to  be 
certain  in  a  matter  of  this  kind.  Perhaps  we  are 
safe  in  saying  that  it  is  at  least  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand ;  and  perhaps  one  hundred  thou- 
sand are  Moslems,  six  thousand  Jews,  and  about 
eight  thousand  are  Christians  of  ditTerent  vari- 
eties. There  are  also  Armenians  and  Maronites, 
Latins,  and  a  few  Protestants;  it  is  computed 
that  the  Moslems  have  nearly  one  hundred  and 
fifty  mosques  and  colleges  in  Damascus ;  seventy- 
one  of  these  are  the  large  mosques  in  which 
sermons  are  preached  on  Frida>s.  Others  are 
chapels  and  schools  for  instruction  in  the  laws 
and  prayers  of  the  Moslem  faith.  The  Moslems 
of  Damascus  are  notorious  for  their  fanaticism. 

This  city  was  once  a  great  resort  for  scholars, 
but  now  Cairo  enjoys  the  fame  which  has  de- 
serted Damascus.  The  Jews  are  chiefly  descend- 
ants of  those  settled  in  this  vicinity  in  ancient 
times.  Christians  within  the  last  few  years  have 
made  great  efforts  to  establish  Protestant  mis- 
sions in  Dntnascus.  The  efforts  of  the  English 
missions  to  the  Jews  have  not  been  very  success- 
ful, but  services  are  still  held  in  English  and 
Arabic.  Our  American  missionaries  have  estab- 
lished schools  in  Damascus,  and  their  labors  are 
attended  with  considerable  encouragement.  Both 
the  Franciscans  and  the  Jesuits  have  schools,  or- 
phanages, and  other  religious  establishments. 


4o8 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


|i   I 


The  Damascones  are,  as  is  to  be  expected,  very 
proud  of  their  city.  The  pride  of  the  Moslems 
is  exceeded  only  by  their  ignorance.  They  vig- 
orously oppose  the  spirit  of  progress  introduced 
from  the  West,  and  consider  themselves  superior 
to  all  other  nations.  In  walking  through  the 
streets  one  is  constantly  exhorted  by  street  ven- 
dors to  buy  various  meats  and  drinks.  The 
street-boy  mingles  a  strange  sort  of  religious  ear- 
nestness with  his  appeals  for  trade.  As  he  rattles 
his  copper  cups,  the  drinkseller  shouts,  "O 
cheer  thine  heart,"  and  the  bread  boy  cries,  "  O 
Allah,  who  sustainest  us,  send  us  trade."  Friday 
is  the  market  day  and  then  the  crowds  are  enor- 
mous in  size,  and  dangerous  in  their  fanaticism. 
On  these  days  especially  one  may  see  Persians 
in  gorgeous  silks,  Nubians  in  black  and  white, 
Jews  with  and  without  ringlets,  and  also  the 
Bedouin  of  the  desert  in  his  cloak  of  black  and 
white,  or  of  some  gorgeous  color ;  and  in  the 
fearful  crowds  occasionally  strangely  dressed  pil- 
grims on  their  way  to  Mecca  are  seen.  The 
confusion  is  indescribable — every  one  shouting 
at  the  top  of  his  voice.  Dogs  are  to  the  right  of 
us  and  to  the  left  of  us ;  they  are  sweetly  sleep- 
ing on  the  pavements  during  the  day,  and  the 
traveler  must  step  over  them  carefully.  They 
largely  sleep  by  day,  and  they  howl  and  prowl  by 
night.  They  are  the  scavengers  of  all  Oriental 
cities ;  but  for  them  many  of  these  cities  would 
be  hotbeds  of  cholera  and  typhoid  fever.  They 
are,  therefore,  treated  with  a  certain  sort  of  kind- 
liness as  friends  of  humanity.     Through  these 


.1; 


DAMASCUS  THE   ANCIENT 


409 


crowded  streets  carav^ans  of  camels  and  donkeys 
are  driven,  some  of  them  carrying  tonrists  or 
sailors  who  have  jnst  arrived  from  JJeirut.  In 
the  midst  of  all  this  excitement,  in  tiie  bazaars 
the  richly  robed  merchants  smoke  their  tchi- 
bouks  and  sip  their  coffee,  or  with  endless  chat- 
ter wait  on  their  customers.  In  the  khans  whole- 
sale trade  is  conducted.  These  khans  are  usually 
owned  by  wealthy  merchants,  and  here  carpets 
of  Persia,  muslins  of  India,  and  the  prints  of 
Manchester  can  be  bought. 

P1.ACES  OF  Special  Interest. — The  Great 
Mosque  was  recently  burned.  I  could  only  gaze 
upon  its  majestic  ruins.  Until  a  short  time  ago, 
no  Christian  was  permitted  to  enter  its  portal ; 
but  previous  to  its  destruction  by  fire  Christians 
could  be  admitted,  going  in  parties  not  larger 
than  twenty  persons  and  by  having  made  appli- 
cation to  the  consul.  The  mosque  stood  in  a 
spacious  quadrangle ;  it  is  larger  than  the  mosque 
of  Omar  and  has  had  a  remarkable  history.  Once 
Christianity  was  a  mighty  power  in  Damascus. 
The  metropolitan  bishop  of  Damascus  with  seven 
of  his  suffragans  attended  the  council  of  Nice  in 
325 ;  but  Islam  gained  power,  and  Christianity 
was  placed  under  the  ban.  Once  the  temple  that 
had  been  sacred  to  Jupiter  was  consecrated  to 
Jesus,  and  dedicated  to  John  the  Baptist ;  but 
this  Christian  church  became  a  Mohammedan 
mosque.  Strangely  enough,  however,  although 
the  crescent  usurped  the  place  of  the  cross,  until 
the  recent  fire  this  inscription  was  on  a  minaret : 


4IO 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


)  1 


f.n    .'■' 


"Thy  kingdom,  O  Christ,  is  a  kingdom  of  all 
ages,  and  thy  dominion  lasts  tlironghout  genera- 
tions." That  inscription  seemed  prophetic  of  a 
time  when  Christ  shall  reign  over  the  hearts  of 
the  people  of  Damascus.  In  earlier  days  the  pul- 
pit, the  court,  and  the  minarets  of  this  mosque 
attracted  much  attttition.  There  was  a  minaret 
called  "  Madinet  'Isa,"  meaning  the  minaret  of 
Jesus.  This  minaret  was  so  named  from  the 
tradition  that  when  Jesus  comes  to  judge  the 
world,  he  will  appear  first  on  this  minaret.  It 
is  believed  by  some  that  this  mosque  was  on  the 
site  of  the  temple  of  Rimmon.  If  this  is  so,  then 
it  was  here  that  Naaman  reared  his  own  altar 
and  deposited  the  "  two  mules'  burden  of  earth," 
according  to  the  account  given  in  2  Kings  5. 

In  the  presence  of  the  ruins  of  this  mosque 
and  under  the  influence  of  tnese  traditions,  one 
certainly  feels  that  he  is  in  the  atmosphere  of 
ancient  history.  It  has  also  been  suggested  that 
it  was  in  this  temple  that  King  Ahaz  saw  the 
altar  which  so  pleased  him  that  he  had  it  repro- 
duced in  Jerusalem.^ 

All  Christian  travelers  are  especially  interested 
in  the  localities  which  are  connected  with  scrip- 
tural events.  "The  street  called  Straight,"  every 
traveler  will  wish  to  see,  and  to  travel  through- 
out its  entire  length.  This  is  doubtless  the  street 
named  in  the  New  Testament.  Mark  Twain 
puns  on  the  word  "  called  "  in  connection  with 
the  name  of  this  street.     It  must  be  admitted 


I 


•  2  Kings  16  :  10-12. 


)  i 


DAMASCUS   THK    ANXIENT 


411 


that  the  street  is  not  very  straii^ht,  ncitlicr  is  it 
architecturally  beautiful ;  but  traces  are  found 
of  the  colonnade  which  once  adorned  the  street, 
and  which  perhaps  gave  it  beauty  in  the  early 
day.  The  natives  called  it  the  '\strect  of  Bazaars." 
The  street  is  at  least  a  mile  long,  and  runs  across 
the  city  from  west  to  east.  It  certainly  was  much 
wider  at  one  time  than  it  is  now.  The  house  of 
Judas  is  also  shown,  but  it  is  not  in  the  "street 
called  Straight." 

The  tombs  and  mausoleums  are  a  marVcd 
feature  of  Damascus.  The  gates  also  attract  the 
attention  of  all  visitors.  The  "  East  Gate  "  bears 
memorials  of  Roman  masonry ;  near  the  closed 
gate  Bab  Kisan, — it  has  been  closed  for  about 
seven  hundred  years, — is  the  Christian  cemetery. 
It  is  a  matter  of  great  interest  that  Buckle,  the 
famous  English  historian,  is  buried  here.  His 
pathetic  regret  that  his  book  was  not  finished  as 
he  felt  the  approach  of  death,  has  touched  the 
hearts  of  all  familiar  with  the  circumstances  of 
his  death.  Near  the  "Little  Gate"  is  a  great 
Moslem  cemetery  in  which  it  is  claimed  that 
three  of  the  wives  of  Mohammed  are  buried. 
One  still  sees  houses  upon  the  wall  which  will 
illustrate  the  story  of  the  escape  of  the  Apostle 
Paul  as  given  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  The 
house  of  Naaman  is  pointed  out.  It  is  now  ap- 
propriately a  leper  hospital.  I  visited  the  so- 
called  house  of  Ananias.  It  is  now  used  as  a 
place  of  prpyer,  and  is  under  the  control  of  the 
Latins.  Tne  "suburb  of  Meidan  "  consists  of  a 
broad  and  badly  paved  street  about  a  mile  long. 


412 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LKCTURES 


•V 


•Ml 


I 


Here  motley  crowds  are  constantly  seen.  The 
environs  of  Damascus  are  deeply  interesting,  and 
at  least  a  day  might  well  be  spent  in  making 
them  a  visit.  We  know  that  at  least  four  differ- 
ent places  have  been  pointed  out  at  different 
times  as  the  place  of  the  conversion  of  the 
Apostle  Paul.  One  place  is  near,  or  a  part  of, 
what  is  now  used  as  the  Christian  cemetery ;  but 
it  is  easy  to  see  that  this  cannot  be  the  place,  as 
it  is  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  city,  and  we  know 
the  apostle  approached  the  city  from  the  north 
or  west.  It  is  much  more  likely  to  be  the  place 
outside  of  the  city,  near  which  the  writer  spent 
a  night,  and  which  is  mentioned  in  the  preceding 
chapter ;  but  there  is  no  special  objection  to  the 
place  pointed  out  in  the  walls  as  that  where  the 
apostle  was  let  down  by  a  basket.' 

For  two  days  I  walked  through  the  streets, 
bazaars,  markets,  baths,  and  other  places  of  in- 
terest in  Damascus.  The  visit  to  this  ancient 
city  will  never  be  forgotten.  It  was  the  realiza- 
tion of  a  long-cherished  desire.  The  streets  are 
as  thoroughly  ancient  as  those  of  Cairo.  In  this 
city  the  traveler  can  thoroughly  learn  the  char- 
acteristics of  the  Orientals.  Two  busy  days  may 
well  be  spent  here ;  but  thoroughly  to  enjoy  the 
city,  a  larger  stay  would  be  necessary.  I  have 
striven  to  describe  the  city  fairly,  without  the 
exaggerated  appreciation  of  some  travelers,  or 
the  equally  exaggerated  depreciation  of  others. 
It  must  be  judged  purely  as  an  Oriental  city ; 


V  T' 


'  Acts  9  :  25. 


DAMASCUS   THE   ANCIKNT 


413 


otherwise  one's  jiuljjnicnt  would  be  conspicu- 
ously unfair.  After  the  days  spent  in  climbing 
barren  hills,  and  the  nights  in  wretched  hotels, 
the  beauty  of  the  city  was  great  by  comparison, 
and  judging  by  the  same  standard  the  hotel  was 
excellent.  Forever  will  the  memory  of  Damas- 
cus, the  metropolis  of  Syria,  "  the  eye  of  the 
East,"  and  the  dream  of  the  ages,  live  in  my 
memory. 


a 


ii  : 


m  ,r 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 

BAALBEK — "  CITY   OF   THE   SUN  " 

EARLY  ill  the  iiioriiing  we  left  Damascus  by 
railway  for  Beirut,  taking  in  Baalbek  on 
the  way.  It  was  with  reluctance  that  we  took 
our  last  views  of  the  ancient  and  beautiful,  the 
romantic  and  dreamful,  city  of  Damascus.  The 
hope  of  visiting  Baalbek  led  us  to  hasten  our 
journey  from  Jerusalem  to  Damascus ;  and  so 
having  gained  at  least  a  day  on  that  journey  it 
became  possible  to  take  in  Baalbek,  and  yet  get 
to  Beirut  in  time  to  take  the  steamer  on  the  in- 
tended date.  Travelers  with  great  ambition  and 
limited  time  learn  largely  to  gratify  the  one,  and 
correspondingly  to  economize  the  other.  Trains 
had  but  recently  begun  to  run  on  the  railway 
between  Damascus  and  Beirut ;  but  one  trip  each 
way  each  day  was  made.  The  fares  were  high 
and  the  track  was  far  from  .smooth ;  but  one  was 
glad  enough  to  avail  himself  of  more  modern 
methods  of  travel  for  loi.g  distances  than  on  the 
back  of  a  horse.  ]\Iy  contract  with  the  drago- 
man ceased  at  Damascus ;  but,  as  I  had  to  pay 
his  fare  to  Beirut,  he  readily  entered  into  a  satis- 
factory arrangement  to  go  with  me  to  Baalbek. 
The  morning  was  hot,  and  the  air  lifeless  as  we 
started  from  Damascus.  We  wound  slowly  up 
414 


baalbj';k — "CITY  oi-  TiiK  sun"       415 


l» 


fiscus  by 
Ibek  on 
we  took 
iful,  tlie 
s.     Tlie 
iten  our 
and  so 
irney  it 
yet  get 
the  in- 
ion  and 
ne,  and 
Trains 
'ail  way 
ip  each 
c  high 
ne  was 
iiodern 
on  the 
drago- 
to  pa)' 
I  satis- 
albek. 
as  we 
r'iy  up 


the  sides  of  Anti-Lebanon  to  its  top,  and  slowly 
down  its  opposite  side.  Cilorious  views  greeted 
us  in  whatever  direction  we  looked.  We  passed 
many  small  villages,  saw  everywhere  the  trans- 
formations produced  by  the  streams,  which  in 
the  Orient  are  literally  waters  of  life,  and  re- 
joiced in  the  charming  vistas  furnished  by  rocky 
glens  and  wild  ravines. 

The  railway  was  still  a  novelty  in  these 
mountain  regions,  and  the  country  people  came 
in  numbers  to  gaze  upon  this  marvel  of  our 
time.  Places  of  historic  interest  and  ruins 
worthy  of  study  were  passed,  and  in  about 
four  hours  we  were  in  Zahleh.  This  is  the 
largest  town  in  Lebanon,  as  it  has  a  popula- 
tion of  nearly  sixteen  thousand,  nine-tenths 
of  whom  are  nominally  Christians.  A  mem- 
ber of  the  Calvary  Church  lives  here.  The 
town  has  an  air  of  comfort,  cleanliness,  intelli- 
gence, and  prosperity  very  rare  in  Palestine. 
Christianity  brings  intelligence,  and  so  prosperity. 
Here  one  saw  women  without  the  distinctive 
dress  of  the  IMohammedan  women,  women  of 
more  beauty,  intelligence,  and  character  than 
those  we  had  been  seeing  for  wet1:s,  women  with 
hope  in  their  faces  and  some  degree  of  joy  in 
their  lives.  Christianity  is  the  one  religion  which 
really  exalts  woman.  It  was  a  joy  to  be  in  an 
atmosphere  more  Occidental  than  Oriental,  more 
Christian  than  IMohammedan.  Many  of  the 
people  about  us  had  been  students  in  Protestant 
and  other  Christian  schools  in  Beirut ;  and  their 
appearance  testified  to  the  value  of  the  instruc- 


4i6 


SUNDAY   NIGHT    LECTURES 


mt 


I 


;!/ 


tion  they  had  received.  During  the  fearful  mas- 
sacre of  i860,  of  which  mention  has  been  made 
in  the  chapter  on  Damascus,  the  town  of  Zahleh 
suffered  terribl}'.  The  Druses  captured  and 
burned  most  of  it  to  the  ground  ;  but  now  it  is 
rebuilt,  and  signs  of  prosperity  are  everywhere 
manifested.  Miles  of  vineyards  are  seen,  and  in 
the  town  and  vicinity  there  are  many  thriving 
manufactories. 

In  Zahleh  we  hired  a  carriage  to  take  us 
to  Baalbek.  The  numbers,  volubility,  and  per- 
tinacity of  tlie  drivers  of  carriages  at  this 
station  are  alarming  to  contemplate.  Those 
of  them  who  could  speak  English  bombarded 
our  ears  with  their  badly  fractured  sentences, 
and  they  all  surrounded  us  with  almost  threat- 
ening attitudes.  But  "  cabby  "  is  virtually  the 
same  fellow  in  all  lands  and  languages ;  and 
those  who  remember  the  attitudes,  and  the 
"  keb,"  "  keb,"  of  our  New  York  cabmen  will 
not  be  greatly  astonished  at  the  nearly  equally 
good  English,  and  perhaps  little  greater  impor- 
tunity, of  the  Syrian  Jehus.  Some  travelers  en- 
gage in  Damascus  carriages  for  this  journey ; 
but  they  can  be  had  at  Zahleh  for  less  than  half 
the  amount  demanded  by  the  hotel  keepers  in 
Damascus, — that  is  to  say,  for  four  to  five  dollars, 
with  two  horses  and  driver,  goings  to  Baalbek  in 
the  afternoon  and  returning  to  Zahleh  the  next 
morning,  the  driver  "  finding  "  himself  and  his 
horses  in  Baalbek. 

Charming  was  the  ride  up  the  broad,  rich 
valley  between  Lebanon  and  Anti-Lebanon.    One 


11    It- 


,'11 


BAALBKK— "  CITY    OF    THE    SUN 


>) 


417 


fearful  mas- 
s  been  made 
'11  of  Zahleh 
ptnred  and 
lit  now  it  is 
everywhere 
5een,  and  in 
ny  thriving 

to  take  us 
y,  and  per- 
:es    at    this 
te.      Those 
bombarded 
sentences, 
lost  threat- 
irtnally  the 
lages ;    and 
,    and    the 
bmen   will 
rly  equally 
iter  inipor- 
avelers  en- 
s  journey ; 
;  than  half 
keepers  in 
ve  dollars, 
Baalbek  in 
1  the  next 
If  and  his 

road,  rich 
non.    One 


f 


feels  all  the  time  that  he  is  nearer  Europe  than 
he  hr.s  been  at  any  time  since  he  entered  the 
East.     The  valley  is  fairly  well  cultivated,  and 
is  smooth  and  for  the  most  part  level.     Yonder 
on  our  right  is  pointed  out  the  reputed  tomb  of 
Noah.     Somehow  it  seemed  .strange  to  learn  that 
Noah  had  a  tomb  ;  it  had  not  occurre  1  to  us  ever 
to  think  about  his  tomb.     But  realr  w':  should 
he  not  have  a  tomb?     Worse  men    hnv  he  have 
several    tombs.      Now   that   a   tomb   has   been 
given  him  it  certainly  is  large  enough  to  satisfy 
a  reasonable  ambition  in  that  respect.     It  is  said 
to  be  between  fifty  and  sixty  yards  long.     The 
most  probable  supposition,  however,  is  thai  it  is 
simply  a  disused  aqueduct.     As  we  ride  we  see 
here  and  there  villages  beautifully  situated,  sur- 
rounded by  groves  and  orchards,  and  in  the  midst 
of  fertile  fields ;  off  in  the  distance  we  see  rising 
before  us  the  world-famous  ruins  wiiich  we  have 
come  to  visit ;  and  here  on  our  right  as  we  ap- 
proach the  town,  are  the  quarries,  whence  the 
great  stones  used  in  the  enormous  temple  of  the 
Sun  and  other  gigantic  structures  were  taken. 
We    leave    the    carriage  to  examine   one  stone 
which  has  long  been  the  wonder  of  all  travelers. 
Mark  Twain  speaks  of  it  as  being  as  large  as  an 
American  railway  car ;  and  his  description  of  it 
is  scarcely  an  exaggeration.     It  is  put  down  in 
the  guidebooks  as  being  seventy-one  feet  long, 
fourteen  feet  high,  and  thirteen  feet  broad.     Its 
i'Stimated  weight  is  one  thousand  five  hundred 
tr>ns.     It  still   lies  where  the   PhaMiician   work- 
men left  it,  perhaps  four  thousand  vears  ago.     It 

21i 


4i8 


SUNDAY   NIGHT    LECTURES 


■I' 


bears  locally  a  suggestive  name,  but  one  which 
our  sense  of  propriety  will  scarcely  permit  us  to 
quote  and  explain.  We  are  now  in  the  historical 
city,  and  are  located  with  reasonable  comfort  at 
one  of  the  several  hotels,  and  are  ready  to  master 
some  historic  facts  before  going  out  to  visit  the 
magnificent  ruins. 

N\ME  AND  History. — The  ancient  Syrinn 
name  was  Ba^aldach.  The  Graeco-Roman  writers 
called  it  Heliopolis,  City  of  the  Sun,  and  the 
modern  name  is  Baalbek,  spelled  differently  by 
different  writers.  "  To  the  great  gods  of  Helio- 
polis," is  a  part  of  the  inscription  in  the  giand 
portico  of  the  temple  still  existing.  John  Malala, 
,of  Antioch,  a  writer  of  the  seventh  century, 
states  that  "^lius  Antoninus  Pius  built  at  He- 
liopolis of  Phoenicia,  in  Lebanon,  a  great  temple 
to  Jupiter,  which  was  one  of  the  wonders  of  the 
world."  The  first  part  of  this  inscription  shows 
that  this  temple  was  originally  a  Pantheon.  It 
also  stated  that  coins  of  an  early  date  show  that 
there  were  two  temples  at  Baalbek,  the  smaller 
of  which  was  probably  the  temple  of  Baal.  Ir. 
Hebrew  this  word  means  lord  ;  it  was  the  name, 
as  we  well  know,  given  by  the  Phoenicians  and 
Canaanites  to  their  chief  deity,  the  sun  ;  this 
deity  shared  with  Astarte,  the  moon,  the  honors 
of  their  worship.  Baalbek  in  Arabic  means 
*'  The  City  or  Place  of  the  Sun  " ;  it  has  been 
suggested,  with  probability,  that  Baalbek  cor- 
responds with  Baal-gad,  "  the  troop  of  the  sun," 
mentioned  in  the   book  of   Joshua   more   than 


tt  i   < 


BAALBEX — "CITY  OF  THE  SUN 


1) 


419 


once.*  These  references  may  locate  this  place 
where  the  ruins  of  Baalbek  stand  to-day.  The 
Greeks  naturally  translated  the  word  into  their 
own  tongue,  hence  the  name  Heliopolis,  "  City 
of  the  Sun,"  the  name  which  Alexander  the 
Great  gave  to  the  city  of  On,  in  Egypt.  When 
the  Romans  were  in  possession  of  Syria,  they 
would  naturally  dedicate  this  temple  especially 
to  the  worship  of  Jupiter. 

I  had  the  good  fortune  to  have  here  a  local 
guide  who  has  made  a  careful  study  of  every- 
thing connected  with  the  history  of  this  famous 
place.  He  has  published  the  results  of  his  in- 
vestigations, and  lias  been  in  constant  communi- 
cation with  learned  men  in  different  countries ; 
but  many  problems  are  still  unsolved,  and  some 
of  them  are  probably  unsolvable.  There  are 
certain  evidences  that  Astarte,  and  later  Venus, 
as  well  as  Baal,  were  revered  at  Heliopolis.  Con- 
stantine,  it  is  believed,  erected  a  Christian  church 
here,  and  it  is  known  that  about  his  time  Chris- 
tians' were  persecuted  here.  Between  379  and 
395  Theodosins  the  Great  destroyed  the  Trilitnon 
Temple,  and  transformed  it  into  a  Christian 
church.  The  Arabs  finally  conquered  the  place. 
They  attributed  all  the  antiquities  to  Solomon. 
They  soon  converted  the  acropolis  into  a  citadel, 
and  as  such  it  occupied  an  important  place  in 
the  wars  of  the  jMiddle  Ages.  In  11 76  the  cru- 
saders, under  Raymond,  went  to  Baalbek,  de- 
feated Sa^jdin,  who  came  into  possession  of  the 


'  Josh.  II 


17 


12  :  7;   13  :  5. 


miowHwwwTijat) 


m 


S     I 


i 


420 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


city  the  preceding  year,  and  returned  with  much 
booty.  After  many  changes  in  its  ownersh^'p 
the  ruins  of  Baalbek  were  re-discovered  by  Eu- 
ropeans in  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century ; 
it  has  suffered  severely  from  earthquakes,  and 
especially  from  one  in  1759. 

The  town  lies  three  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  forty  feet  above  the  sea  level.  Its  popula- 
tion is  put  down  as  two  thous  nd,  and  at  least 
one-half  are  Christians  of  some  sort,  many  of 
them  probably  of  a  very  poor  sort.  It  contains 
two  Greek  and  two  INIaronite  monasteries.  The 
English  Mission  conducts  a  successful  girls' 
school,  and  there  are  other  forms  of  Protestant 
mission  work.  The  tourist  in  Baalbek  is  con- 
scious of  an  atmosphere  of  antiquity  and  mys- 
tery as  he  gazes  on  the  ruins  of  past  civiliza- 
tions, walks  under  the  shadow  of  the  trees  and 
by  the  streams  of  this  interesting  city.  The 
great  temple  is  now  a  mass  of  ruins,  but  it  is 
easy  to  see  that  it  was  a  peristyle,  a  temple  with 
columns  running  around  it.  Only  six  columns 
now  remain,  which  are  about  sixty  feet  high  and 
have  Corinthian  capitals.  In  order  to  secure  the 
iron  clamps  the  Arabs  have  greatly  injured  these 
columns,  and  it  would  surprise  no  one  who  had 
seen  them  to  learn  that  they  had  fallen  ;  and  so 
the  superb  ruins  of  perhaps  the  grandest  temple 
the  world  has  ever  possessed,  would  be  entirely 
destroyed.  It  is  clear  that  originally  there  were 
seventeen  columns  on  each  side  of  the  temple, 
and  ten  at  each  end,  thus  making  fifty-four  in 
all.     The  building  thus  enclosed  was  two  hun- 


1  ■■ 

i      1 

iii 

BAALBEK — "city   OF   THE   SUN"  42  I 


dred  and  ninety  feet  long  and  one  hundred  and 
sixty  feet  broad. 

The  temple  of  the  Sun  stands  on  a  lower 
level  than  that  of  the  Great  Temple.  Nineteen 
of  its  forty-six  columns  remain;  these  columns 
were  sixty-five  feet  in  height,  inchiding  base  and 
capitals,  and  they  are  six  feet  three  inches  in  di- 
ameter. More  than  a  century  ago  one  of  these 
columns  fell  against  the  cella,  and  in  that  posi- 
tion it  has  lemained  ever  since.  The  portal  of 
the  temple  is  exquisitely  beautiful,  its  door  posts 
being  monoliths,  and  richly  ornamented  with 
foliage  and  genii.  With  my  guide  I  walked 
several  times  around  the  walls,  and  studied  with 
wonder  its  Cyclopean  masonry.  The  stones  are 
of  enormous  size ;  everything  is  vast  in  concep- 
tion and  execution.  The  temple  was  called  the 
"  Trilithon  "  ;  a  glance  at  this  word  shows  that 
it  means  three-stoned,  and  probably  the  name 
was  given  because  of  the  three  vast  stones  on 
which  I  gazed  with  constantly  increasing  won- 
der. They  are  near  one  another  and  attract  and 
chain  the  attention  of  every  visitor.  One  is 
sixty-three  feet  long,  anotlier  is  sixty-three  feet 
and  eight  inches,  and  tlie  third  is  sixty-four  feet 
long;  each  stone  is  thirteen  feet  high  and  thir- 
teen feet  thick,  and  their  present  position  in  the 
wall  is  about  twenty  feet  above  the  ground. 
After  ail  these  years  they  fit  to  one  another  so 
perfectly  that  I  had  to  look  closely  to  discover 
the  seams.  The  question  is  often  asked,  how 
they  were  raised  to  that  position  ?  My  guide 
seemed  to  think  that  the  ground  was  once  suffi- 


422 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


ciently  high  to  bring  these  stones  near  the  ap- 
parent foundation ;  but  the  question  may  still 
be  asked,  how  were  they  ever  brought  from  the 
quarry  ?  That  question  the  science  of  our  day 
fails  satisfactorily  to  answer.  Some  say  a  chan- 
nel of  water  was  dug  to  the  quarry  and  they  were 
floated  on  boats ;  others  that  an  inclined  plane 
was  constructed  and  that  the  stones  were  canted 
over  and  over  by  enormous  "jacks,"  and  perhaps 
partly  by  the  aid  of  elephants  or  some  other 
powerful  animals.  The  fact  is  that  we  know 
nothing  about  the  matter.  Our  boasted  progress 
is  brought  to  a  condition  of  complete  humilia- 
tion, if  not  to  entire  silence. 

The  exterior  of  the  Circular  Temple  is  very 
fine.  It  is  surrounded  by  eight  Corinthian  cap- 
itals and  each  is  a  monolith.  Seldom  does  a 
traveler  so  fully  feel  his  littleness,  or  the  small- 
ness  of  our  boasted  civilization  and  irreverent 
spirit  of  progress,  as  he  does  at  Baalbek.  One 
almost  feels  that  he  is  surrounded  by  the  evi- 
dences of  a  civilization  of  Titans,  or  by  the  re- 
sults of  the  labors  of  a  race  of  gods,  or  by  the 
works  of  nature,  as  an  immediate  creation  by 
God,  rather  than  in  the  presence  of  the  works  of 
men's  hands.  The  words  of  M.  Pressense,  though 
somewhat  long,  are  truthful  and  eloquent  and 
may  be  here  reproduced  : 


n 


Baalbek,  or  Heliopolis,  was  an  insignificant  town  of  small 
note,  except  in  the  time  of  the  decline  of  the  Roman  em- 
pire. One  may  judge  from  the  remains  of  this  inglorious 
city,  with  what  a  pride  of  pomp  paganism  arrayed  itself  be- 
fore its  death.     The  temples  of  Baalbek  date — at  least  as 


BAAI.BEK — "CITY   OF   THE   SUN  "  423 


the  time  of  their  positive  erection — from  the  reign  of  Anto- 
ninus Pius.  The  acropolis  of  the  town  was  entirely  isolated, 
and  placed  on  an  eminence,  surrounded  with  gigantic 
walls,  the  stones  of  which  belonged  to  that  Phoenician 
architecture,  which,  by  its  colossal  genius,  has  earned  the 
name  of  Cyclopean.  Three  ttinples  rose  on  this  acropolis  : 
a  circular  temple,  of  which  then;  remain  only  a  few  highly 
decorated  chapels  ;  a  temple  cf  Jupiter,  which  has  pre- 
served a  great  part  of  its  portico,  and  its  cella  quite  entire, 
with  its  architrave  ornate  to  excess,  its  fluted  columns,  and 
a  rich  profusion  of  decoration  ;  and  a  temple  of  the  Sun, 
the  remains  of  which  clearly  indicate  its  former  grandeur. 
A  peristyle  led  to  a  vf  ;"t  hexagon  surrounded  by  niches  and 
columns  ;  a  large  square  court  conducted  to  the  sanctuary. 
To  this  edifice  belonged  the  five  splendid  pillars  which  rear 
to  such  an  astonishing  height  an  enormous  mass  of  stone, 
as  finely  carved  as  if  designed  for  a  temple  of  miniature 
proportions. 

The  peculiar  characteristic  of  this  architecture  is  precisely 
this  combination  of  the  immense  and  the  graceful,  of  Cy- 
clopean vastness  with  the  refined  elegance  of  an  art  already 
in  its  decadence,  but  still  in  possession  of  most  marvelous 
processes.  Nowhere  is  the  Corinthian  acanthus  carved  with 
more  delicacy  than  on  these  gigantic  blocks.  After  study- 
ing these  three  temples  in  detail,  the  mind  must  be  aban- 
doned freely  to  the  impression  produced  by  the  magnificent 
whole.  The  fallen  fraginents  heaped  on  the  ground  are  as 
wonderful  as  the  standing  remains. 

While  the  five  pillars  of  the  cella  of  the  great  temple 
rear  themselves  grandly  to  the  eye,  the  earth  around  the 
foot  of  the  isolated  columns  still  standing  is  strewed  with 
enormous  debris,  which  form  a  magnificent  pell-mell,  dis- 
playing all  imaginable  forms  of  Grecian  architecture.  It  is 
the  ruin  of  an  entire  city,  the  ideal  ruin  of  a  dream,  full  of 
disorder,  poetry,  grandeur.  This  is  the  sublime  cenotaph 
of  two  distinct  but  blended  civilizations  ;  the  old  natural 
religions,  which  so  long  held  Asia  captive,  mingle  the 
wrecks  of  their  colossal  architecture  with  the  exquisite  forms 
that  the  genius  of  Greece  threw  off  as  if  in  sport.  Spring 
casts  the  garland  of  her  perpetual  youth  over  this  thrice 


424 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


dead  past — a  smiling  irony  ;  camels  and  sheep  graze  on  the 
grass  which  grows  over  columns  and  capitals.  Picture  the 
white  chain  of  Libanus  looking  down  on  this  overthrown 
city  ;  embrace  in  one  comprehensive  glance  of  thought  all 
the  contrasts  blended  here,  and  the  thrilling  effect  of  such 
a  scene  will  be  understood. 


And  the  words  of  another  recent  traveler  in 
Palestine  and  Syria  exactly  expressed  my  feel- 
ings as  the  next  morning  we  rode  away,  and  I 
took  my  last  look,  perhaps  forever,  on  the  gigan- 
tic ruins  of  Baalbek. 


.v.: 


There  are  many  things  to  wonder  at  and  admire  in  Baal- 
bek. One  never  wearies  of  gazing  upon  those  graceful 
ruins,  beautiful  from  every  aspect  and  in  every  light  ;  but 
it  is  not  "on  holy  ground"  that  we  are  standing,  and  with 
the  influence  upon  us  which  the  ruins  of  Palestine  have  cre- 
ated, we  forget  the  might  of  Phoenician  strength,  the  poetry 
of  Grecian  architecture,  the  pomp  of  Roman  power,  and 
sigh  to  think  that  all  this  magnificence  was  pride,  this  wor- 
ship pagan,  and  all  this  skill  and  grace  and  beauty  defiled 
by  voluptuous  and  soul-destroying  sin.  I  climbed  a  wall 
and  sat  upon  a  richly  sculptured  parapet,  watching  the  sun- 
set. To  the  left  was  Hermon,  to  the  right  Lebanon,  and  at 
my  feet  the  whole  vast  area  of  ruins.  It  was  an  hour  full  of 
suggestion,  and  one  could  not  fail  to  trace  how  the  word  of 
the  Lord  was  receiving  its  fulfillment ;  how  the  false  systems 
were  lying  in  the  dust  and  darkness,  while  his  own  prophetic 
proclamation  was  gaining  daily  new  force  and  power  :  "I 
am  the  light  of  the  world. '  * 

The  Phoenician  heathenism,  the  Greek  and 
Roman  heathenism,  have  passed  away.  Jesus 
Christ  is  king.  Over  the  ruins  of  every  heathen 
faith  his  kingdom  will  rise. 


!.   • 


«   \ 


XI, 


BEIRUT 


THE  carriage  ride  from  Baalbek  to  Zahleh 
was  most  enjoyable.  At  noon  we  took  at 
Zahleli  the  train  we  had  left  the  day  before,  and 
started  for  Beirut.  The  day  became  very  warm 
and  the  journey  was  peculiarly  tiresome.  It  was 
thought  by  many  before  the  railway  was  built 
that  the  people  would  not  ride  in  the  trains  ;  but 
now  they  are  often  very  much  crowded.  It  was 
so  on  this  occasion ;  the  cars  of  all  the  three 
classes  were  packed  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
journey.  The  track  is  rough,  the  trains  move 
slowly,  and  they  stop  frequently.  After  days 
spent  on  horseback,  our  limbs  were  stiff  when 
we  arrived  at  Damascus  ;  but  our  positive  fatigue 
was  far  greater  when  we  arrived  at  Beirut  after 
riding  in  crowded  cars  and  under  a  burning  sun. 
Although  it  was  now  about  the  middle  of  Octo- 
ber, the  ride  to  Beirut  and  the  night  spent  there 
were  the  hottest  experiences  which  we  had  after 
leaving  the  Red  Sea. 

Tremendous  were  the  noise,  confusion,  and  ex- 
citement of  every  sort  on  arriving  at  Beirut  and 
getting  our  baggage  through  the  custom  house. 
The  Orientals  love  noise ;  it  is  a  form  of  their 
chosen  enjoyment.     Business  of  many  millions 

42s 


426 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


% 


:1 '  ' 


'■( 


^■'i 


of  dollars  might  be  transacted  in  Europe  or  in 
America  with  less  confusion  and  noise  than  we 
had  in  the  tedious  delay  of  getting  our  baggage 
examined  and  in  securing  carriages  to  drive  to 
our  hotel.  The  arrival  by  sea  would  have  had 
much  more  noise  and  confusion  still.  It  is  almost 
as  much  as  a  traveler's  life  is  worth  to  land  by 
boat  at  an  Oriental  port. 

I  was  now  near  the  end  of  my  fifteen  days  in 
Palestine  and  Syria,  and  was  not  sorry  to  leave 
for  "  The  Isles  of  Greece,''  and  finally  for  Great 
Britain  and  home.  My  face  was  now  distinctly 
turned  homeward.  Never  did  Europe  seem  so 
much  like  home  as  when  I  reached  it  from  Asia. 
I  was  weary  of  the  noise,  of  the  dogs,  and  of  the 
dirt  of  Oriental  cities.  The  night  spent  at 
Beirut  was  very  imcomfortable.  It  was  ex- 
tremely hot ;  bands  of  some  wild  sort  played 
most  of  the  night,  and  mosquitoes — which  are 
rare  in  Palestine,  owing  to  the  coldness  of  the 
nights — sang  their  songs  and  worked  their 
lances  and  their  pumps  all  night.  There  are 
good  hotels  and  almost  all  modern  and  European 
conveniences  and  comforts  in  Beirut,  so  far  as 
Oriental  conditions  will  admit ;  but  certainly  I 
have  no  very  pleasant  memories  of  my  night 
there.  On  the  train  to  Beirut,  and  in  the  city 
itself,  we  found  French  constantly  spoken.  Few 
stop  to  think  of  the  hold  the  French  have  in 
Syria.  In  connection  with  the  settlement  of  the 
troubles  in  Damascus  in  i860,  and  with  the  build- 
ing of  the  railway.  Frenchmen,  French  capital, 
and  French  influence  in  many  ways,  are  felt  in 


,t 


-\ii« 


BEIRUT 


427 


)pe  or  in 
than  we 
baggage 
drive  to 
lave  had 
s  ahnost 
land  by 

days  in 
to  leave 
)r  Great 
istinctly 
seem  so 
m  Asia, 
d  of  the 
pent   at 
vas    ex- 
played 
lich  are 
3  of  the 
d    their 
lere  are 
Liropean 
)  far  as 
tainly  I 
y  night 
the  city 
1.    Few 
liave  in 
t  of  the 
ebnild- 
capital, 
:  felt  in 


Syria.  If  Palestine  and  Syria  should  be  divided 
among  the  nations  of  Enrope,  France  wonld  be 
sure  to  get  a  large  slice  in  this  vicinity.  Indeed, 
a  knowledge  of  the  French  tongue  greatly  facili- 
tates trivel  in  Syria.  English  is  also  spoken  by 
those  who  have  attended  the  schools  at  Heirut, 
and  altogether  one  feels  here  almost  as  if  he 
were  in  Europe  ;  and  the  more  he  can  so  feel 
the  better  he  will  like  this  old  and  interesting 
city.  There  are  here  good  shops,  baths,  pho- 
tographers, and  PyUglish,  American,  French, 
German,  Austrian,  and  Italian  physicians  ;  there 
are  also  good  dentists  of  different  nationalities, 
besides  bankers,  consulates,  and  steamboat  agents. 
Altogether  the  town  is  quite  modern,  but  there 
is  still  room  for  improvement.  It  is  the  princi- 
pal commercial  town  in  Syria. 

Bits  of  Eari^y  History. — It  was  originally 
one  of  the  two  towns  of  the  Canaanitish  "  Gib- 
lites,"  or  dwellers  on  the  mounts ;  these  towns 
were  Berytus  and  Biblus.  Some  derive  the 
name  of  Berytus  from  its  fountains,  "  bccrot "  ; 
others  from  "  berosh,"  a  pine  tree.  The  town  is 
mentioned  by  the  Greeks  before  the  time  of 
Alexander ;  but  it  is  not  named  in  c'^niection 
with  his  campaigns.  As  the  consequence  of  a 
rebellion  against  Antiochus  VII.,  Berytus  is  said 
to  have  been  entirely  destroyed  ;  but  the  Romans 
rebuilt  it  and  named  it  Augusta  Felix,  in  honor 
of  the  Emperor  Augustus.  Herod  Agrippa,  to 
please  the  Romans,  built  here  baths  and  theatres, 
and  organized  gladiatorial  combats.    At  Berytus, 


1^1 


:l 


f^ 


428 


SUNDAV    NIGHT    LECTURES 


as  at  Banias,  Titus,  after  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem, caused  many  Jews  to  fight  against  one 
another  in  the  arena.  In  the  third  century 
Herytns  with  Tyre  furnished  silk  fabrics  to  the 
Roman  markets ;  and  later  this  trade  was  ex- 
tended to  Cireece  and  was  continued  for  several 
centuries.  This  port  of  Syria  was  thus  long 
famous  for  mulberry  trees  and  for  silk  culture. 
As  the  result  of  terrible  earthquakes  Berytus 
long  lay  in  ruins.  In  635  it  was  easily  captured 
by  the  ^loslems ;  but  in  11 25  it  was  taken  by 
the  crusaders  under  Baldwin,  and  held  by  them 
until  they  were  practically  driven  out  of  the  land 
by  their  defeat  at  the  battle  of  Hattin.  For  a 
time  in  the  sixteenth  century  it  was  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Druse  Prince  Fakhr.  He  banished 
the  Turks,  favored  the  Christians,  and  promoted 
trade.  Beirut  was  for  a  time  his  favorite  resi- 
dence. On  his  return  from  Italy  he  undertook 
to  introduce  many  innovations.  Finally  both  he 
and  his  son  were  taken  by  the  Turks  and  slain. 
After  the  usual  changes  of  dynasties  and  owner- 
ships characteristic  of  Oriental  towns,  Beirut 
was  in  1840  bombarded  by  the  English  and  cap- 
tured for  the  Turks. 

Rapid  Increase  ok  Population. — After  the 
massacre  of  so  many  Christians  in  Damascus  in 
i860,  large  numbers  came  to  Beirut  to  make 
there  a  home.  Since  that  date  the  prosperity  of 
Beirut  has  been  greater  than  ever  before.  There 
are  not,  however,  many  places  in  the  city  for  the 
tourist  to  visit.     The  bazaars  are  almost  as  much 


HIilRUT 


429 


of  Jeru- 
nst  one 
century 
s  to  the 
was  ex- 
scvcral 
us  lon^ 
culture. 
Berytus 
aptured 
iken  by 
)y  them 
he  land 
For  a 
he  resi- 
anished 
'omoted 
ite  resi- 
dertook 
both  he 
d  slain, 
owner- 
Beirut 
nd  cap- 


fter  the 
iscus  in 
)  make 
erity  of 
Tliere 
for  the 
s  much 


European  as  Oriental.  The  ancient  tower  near 
the  harbor  is  interesting  because  of  all  that  it 
suggests  regarding  past  liistory.  The  town  occu- 
pies a  part  of  the  southein  side  of  St.  Ckorge's  Bay, 
and  the  interior  of  the  bay  oflcrs  partial  protection 
to  ships  which  are  in  the  harbor  against  stormy 
weather.  A  very  consideral)le  amount  of  s\\\[)- 
ping  enters  Beirut,  and  when  the  new  harbor,  par- 
tially completed,  is  ready  for  occupation,  Beirut 
will  be  the  only  safe  landing-place  along  the 
coast.  There  are  in  the  city  official  representa- 
tives of  the  Greek  Orthodox  Church,  the  United 
Greeks,  the  Maronitcs,  and  also  the  Roman 
churches.  The  plain  on  which  the  town  stands 
is  covered  with  luxuriant  gardens,  while  behind 
it  the  mountains  rise  to  a  good  height,  and  snow- 
covered  summits  are  seen  still  beyond.  The  hills 
are  cultivated  to  a  considerable  degree,  and  an 
air  of  prosperity  marks  the  whole  neighborhood, 
and  the  tints  of  the  mountains  contrasting  with 
the  blue  sea  make  a  charming  picture.  The 
heat  is  often  great,  but  is  usually  tempered  by 
the  refreshing  sea-breeze.  It  was  a  matter  of  re- 
gret to  me  that  I  visited  here  at  a  time  when 
many  of  the  Europeans,  and  especially  our 
American  missionaries,  were  absent,  having  gone 
to  the  heights  of  Lebanon  for  the  summer. 

As  already  intimated,  the  population  of  the 
town  has  grown  rapidly  since  the  slaughter  of 
Christians  in  Damascus  in  i860.  Previous  to 
that  day  the  population  was  about  twenty  thou- 
sand;  now  it  is  more  than  one  hundred  thou- 
sand.    The    religious   community  is  of   varied 


.^/'i 


i'( 


I  < 


i;l'< 


. 

!  1 

; 

i 

1 

i 

1 

i-  ■ 

lit 

430 


SUNDAY   NIGHT   LECTURES 


complexion,  the  Moslems,  however,  predomi- 
nating. It  is  a  great  comfort  to  know  that  they 
are  rapidly  decreasing,  while  Christians  are  con- 
stantly increasing.  The  Christians  have  the 
reputation  of  being  very  industrious,  enterpris- 
ing, and  prosperous,  and  in  this  respect  have 
been  compared  to  the  ancient  PhaMiicians.  Busi- 
ness houses  are  found  in  Beirut  with  branches  in 
England,  France,  America,  and  other  countries. 
These  merchants  are  doing  a  good  business,  and 
are  not  surpassed  in  success  by  European  mer- 
chants doing  business  in  Syria.  As  already  re- 
marked, French  is  becoming  the  common  lan- 
guage next  to  the  Arabic,  having  in  this  respect 
taken  the  place  formerly  held  by  the  Italian 
tongue.  Romanist  schools  have  done  mucn  to 
disseminate  the  knowledge  of  the  French  lan- 
guage in  this  part  of  Syria.  The  number  of 
persons  in  Beirut  who  can  neither  read  nor  write 
is  very  small  compared  with  most  Syrian  cities. 

Beneficent  Influence  of  Christianity. 
— Christianity  has  shown  its  beneficent  influence 
here  by  exalting  woman  in  the  social  and  intel- 
lectual scale.  The  church  of  Scotland  has  a 
Jewish  mission  in  Beirut  which  was  begun  in 
1864,  and  it  does  admirable  work  ir  educating 
the  Jewish  youth.  St.  George's  Ir..->titute,  under 
the  direction  of  Scotch  ladies,  is  rendering  ex- 
ceVent  service  for  IMoslem  and  Druse  girls.  The 
British  Syrian  Alission  began  its  work  here  with 
tlie  special  object  of  caring  for  the  orphans  whose 
parents  were  slain  in   the  Damascus  massacre. 


BEIRUT 


431 


There  are  also  schools  for  the  blind.  Excellent 
Christian  work  is  done  by  German  mission  or- 
ganizations. The  Kaiserswerth  deaconesses  con- 
dnct  a  large  orphanage  and  boarding  school, 
which  school  stands  high  as  a  college  for  yonng 
women.  Reference  has  already  been  made  to 
the  French  institutions  belonging  to  various 
bodies  in  connection  with  the  Roman  Church. 
The  Italian  government  is  also  making  efforts  to 
found  schools  for  boys  and  girls  ;  and  the  Greek 
Orthodox  and  Maronite  churches,  as  well  as  Jew- 
ish synagogues,  are  conducting  schools  with 
vigor  and  success.  To  American  Christians 
Beirut  is  especially  interesting  as  tlie  seat  of  the 
American  mission  which  entered  upon  its  work 
in  Syria  as  early  as  182 1.  From  it  have  gone 
out  Christian  influences  which  have  affected  all 
Syria.  Much  has  been  done  by  distributing 
Bibles,  organizing  schools,  and  preaching  the 
gospel,  and  the  good  work  permeates  the  whole 
country.  Among  the  American  names  deserv- 
ing of  great  honor  are  Messrs.  Parsons,  Fiske, 
Goodell,  King,  and  Bird ;  between  the  years 
1819  and  1823  these  gentlemen  were  the  pio- 
neers of  missions  in  Syr"a.  The  places  made 
vacant  by  the  early  death  of  Parsons  and  Fiske 
were  filled  by  other  noble  Christian  workers. 
These  men  then  were  and  others  to-day  are  striv- 
ing to  rekindle  the  light  of  Christianity  in  lands 
made  sacred  by  the  work  of  Christ  and  his 
apostles.  The  labors  of  Doctor  Thomson,  so 
widely  known  as  the  author  of  "  The  Land  and 
the  Book,"   as  well   as  those  of  Drs.  Vandyck, 


432 


SUNDAY    NIGHT    LECTURES 


I    'il 


Calhoun,  Bliss,  and  Eli  Smith,  are  worthy  of  all 
honor,  as  are  also  the  names  of  the  men  in  the 
field  to-day.  Distinguished  scientific  men  have 
been  connected  with  thi.s  mission.  The  univer- 
sity in  Beirut  has  a  theological  seminary  and  a 
medical  department,  as  well  as  courses  in  science 
and  literature.  Its  buildings  are  excellent  and 
well  adapted  to  their  various  purposes.  A  four 
years'  course  of  training  is  giv^en  to  the  pupils 
in  the  medical  department,  and  those  who  re- 
ceive degrees  greatly  surpass  the  native  physi- 
cians. The  girls'  seminary  is  an  important  part 
of  the  work  of  the  American  mission.  It  is 
stated  that  the  number  of  schools  of  this  mis- 
sion in  1889  was  one  hundred  and  forty-one, 
with  over  six  thousand  pupils  of  both  sexes.  It 
also  publishes  a  weekly  newspaper,  and  in  a 
great  variety  of  ways  is  laboring  to  diffuse  a 
knowledge  of  Christianity  in  this  dark  country. 


'if 


i    t 


Visit  to  Palestine  Ended. — The  time  has 
now  come  when  I  must  leave  this  land  which  I 
so  longed  to  visit  and  through  which  I  have 
passed  rapidly,  experiencing  no  little  fatigue, 
but  very  much  pleasure  and  profit.  It  is  with 
mingled  joy  and  sorrow  that  I  now  prepared  to 
leave  Palestine  and  Syria.  God  has  marvel- 
lously preserved  this  land  as  a  truthful  witness 
to  the  teaching  of  Holy  Scripture.  I  now  part 
with  my  faithful  Abdallah,  who  had  been  my 
devoted  attendant  and  instructi^  guide  from 
Joppa  to  Jerusalem,  to  Damascus,  and  to  Beirut. 
He  comes  with  me  to  the  boat  which  lies  in  the 


i  i 


•t« 


BlilRUT 


433 


thv  of  all 
en  in  the 
nen  have 
le  uni\er- 
iry  and  a 
in  science 
llent  and 
A  four 
lie  pupils 
:  who  re- 
ve  physi- 
rtant  part 
n.  It  is 
this  mis- 
:orty-one, 
exes.  It 
md  in  a 
diffuse  a 
country. 

time  has 

which  I 

1   I  have 

fatigue, 
t  is  with 
epared  to 

niarvel- 
[1  witness 
now  part 
been  my 
ide  from 
o  Beirut. 
:es  in  the 


harbor  wai'.     ^  ^^  carry  me  away  from  these  his- 
toric  shores,    perhaps    never    to    return.     As    I 
think  of  this  land  over  which  the  baleful  shadow 
of  Islam  falls,  I  can  say  with  Doctor  Fish,  that 
the  significant  prophecy,  perhaps  but  little  under- 
stood by  the  Moslems,  which  so  long  was  over 
the  portal  of  their  great  mosque  at  Dainascus, 
gives  me  cheer  and   hope  as  I  leave  this  dark 
country:   "Thy  kingdom,  O  Christ,  is  an  ever- 
lasting  kingdom."     May    God    speed    the   day 
whcn'Christ  shall  reign  in  all  parts  of  Palestine 
and  throughout  the  whole  world  !     I  now  turn 
away  to  sail  to  lands  visited  by  apostles  as  the 
first  preachers  of    Christ,   and   to  lands   and  to 
islands  made  famous  alike  by  the  missionaries 
of  the  cross  and  the  immortal   poets  of  classic 
Greece ;  the  isles  which  live  in  our  memories  as 
synonyms  of    art   and    literature,   of    song  and 
story,  the  isles  of  which  Lord  Byron  sang: 


The  isles  of  Greece,  the  isles  of  Greece  ! 
Where  burning  Sappho  loved  and  simg, 
Where  grew  the  arts  of  war  and  peace,  — 
Where  Delos  rose,  and  I'hccbus  sprung  ! 
Eternal  summer  gilds  them  yet, 
Put  all,  except  their  sun,  is  set. 


